President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that partners could shoot down Russian missiles in the sky over Ukraine, but this is a matter of their desire. According to the president, NATO countries are afraid of an escalation of the conflict. Zelensky said this in an interview with Reuters, reports UNN.
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"I believe that there are already many examples, including gas storage facilities, where gas is not only ours, but also European. And this is already a matter of protection. This gas is not received by certain states. Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, and NATO countries. But people just won't get this gas if our gas storage facilities are blown up. Does Russia want to blow them up? Yeah. Can we protect them with Patriot air defense? Yeah. Do we have a "Patriot" there? No. Can partners give us? I think we should. And when they say that we do not have and cannot give, the question arises: Do you have planes? They raise them. When missiles fly, Polish planes take off, but they are not used to shoot down Russian missiles. Can they do this? Sure, yeah. Is this an attack by a NATO country? No, " Zelensky said.
He noted that the partners could shoot down Russian missiles in the sky over Ukraine, which can potentially blow up gas storage facilities where gas goes to NATO countries.
"Are they protecting it (the gas storage facility - Ed.)? Yeah. Or they shoot down a potential missile that could hit the heads of civilians in a NATO country. Do they protect you? Yeah. And what should they shoot down when the missile is already on the territory of Poland? Maybe it's too late. Did the Israelis shoot down rockets from Israeli territory when they were hit by missiles from Iran? No. Were they shot down from other countries? Yeah. Did they shoot down Israelis with weapons? No. Did they shoot down NATO countries with weapons and planes? Yeah. So why is it possible in one case and not in another? What is the difference," Zelensky added.
The president noted that he sent a signal to partner countries, including the United States, that Ukraine is ready to sign all documents, that if a Russian missile is shot down on the territory of Ukraine by NATO countries, they will not be held responsible.
"A question of desire. But everyone says a word that sounds the same in all languages: everyone is afraid of escalation. Everyone is already used to the fact that Ukrainians are dying. This is not an escalation for people (...). The question is that a large shortage of air defense is no longer working. Everyone has seen them. F-16s are on the rise. Give us more a-16s, you know how much we need. The Russians use 300 aircraft on the territory of Ukraine. We need at least 120-130 planes to withstand the sky. Can't give it yet? Okay, back to the planes you have on the territory of neighboring NATO countries. You raise them, use them, shoot down targets, protect civilians," the head of state added.
Recall
Ukraine has never used Western weapons to strike Russia, but negotiations are underway with partners to get such an opportunity, Zelensky said.