Ukraine's foreign minister urges West to send Ukraine at least another seven Patriots
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said that Western countries have not given Ukraine sufficient numbers of Patriot air defence systems, despite having more than 100 Patriots in service.
Source: Dmytro Kuleba in an interview with Reuters, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Kuleba said he intends to bring up the issue of Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems at every meeting he has with his counterparts in Brussels over the next two days.
Reuters reported that Russia has "unleashed an increased barrage of attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure" in recent weeks, which highlights Ukraine’s urgent need for protection.
"Partners did provide us with their different [air defence] systems, we appreciate that, but it's just simply insufficient, given the scale of the war," Kuleba said.
He said Ukraine needs at least another five to seven Patriot systems, but its partners have so far been unwilling to share them despite having more than 100 at their disposal.
"Is it such a big problem? Is it not feasible to provide Ukraine with the minimum request?" Kuleba asked.
He added that he was convinced "it’s just an issue of political will".
Kuleba also said it was not clear to him why the allies have so far not provided additional Patriots, especially given that they do not face the missile threat that Ukraine faces every day.
Background:
- The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Poland have met on the sidelines of a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels to discuss how Poland could help protect Ukraine from Russian airstrikes and better protect its own airspace.
- The Ukrainian foreign minister also spoke about strengthening Ukraine’s air defence with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares.
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