Zelenskyy: IRIS-T is good system, we need more of them
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has listed the types of weapons that Ukraine needs most now; in particular, he expects more IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile systems from Germany.
Source: Zelenskyy, in an interview with the German TV channel ARD, answering the question of which weapons Ukraine needs the most at this stage
Quote: "Ukraine needs protection on the battlefield. This includes artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), important armoured vehicles such as infantry fighting vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers of various types... We need tanks; this is the type of equipment that is in short supply, and there is nothing to hide. There is also a shortage of shells for all of the above. This relates to forces that operate on the ground.
And what about the sky… We need air defence systems to protect our skies as much as possible. Here, I am grateful to Germany for IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile systems. These are good systems, and we need more of them. Scholz promised; let's believe the chancellor. We will wait. And, of course, NASAMS, Patriot…
I really want a new page in this war. Or, more accurately, in defence. These are, of course, aircraft. I wish that the Russians did not have control of the sky.
Of course, we need long-range missiles. So that they do not attack our cities, but we cannot reach them. That is sad."
Background:
- Germany transferred the first of four promised IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine in October 2022. The transfer of the next three systems is planned for this year.
- On 20 January, Boris Pistorius, the Federal Minister of Defence of Germany, announced a spring package of military aid to Ukraine worth more than €1 billion. According to Pistorius, the package will include 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, seven Gepard anti-aircraft self-propelled artillery systems, additional guided missiles for the Iris-T anti-aircraft missile system, and another Iris-T unit.
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