Western leaders agree anti-ballistic missile coalition with Ukraine

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2020 file photo, from left, the flags of Britain, Scotland and European Union wave outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh. Eleven months after Britain’s formal departure from the EU, Brexit becomes a fact of daily life on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021.

Leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom have agreed to establish an integrated anti-ballistic missile coalition with Ukraine, the French

Presidency said in a statement. “We believe that the protection of Europe requires a global solution of integrated missile defense architecture to deter and defeat future missile threats — developed through collective effort, technological openness, and trusted industrial co-operation," the statement said.

“It will complement existing ballistic missile defense systems, including sovereign European solutions already acquired, or to be acquired by participating countries,” it added.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, John Irish; Editing by Sharon Singleton)