President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, during which he raised the issue of strengthening Ukraine’s air defense. This was reported by UNN, citing the president’s statement.
The head of state emphasized the shortage of antiballistic missiles and the problems with intercepting Russian jet-powered drones.
Details
According to Zelenskyy, the situation regarding the protection of Ukrainian airspace remains difficult due to large-scale Russian attacks involving missiles, guided aerial bombs, and attack drones.
"Thank you for your continued support in protecting Ukrainian airspace. It is very difficult now because of the large number of Russian missiles and drones. In just the first week of this month, Russia launched 115 missiles of various types, thousands of guided aerial bombs, and jet-powered 'Shaheds,'" Zelenskyy said.
The president noted that Russia is exploiting Ukraine’s shortage of antiballistic missiles to strike energy infrastructure. According to him, additional difficulties are caused by disruptions to Starshield operations along the front line and in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.
"In addition to the constant shortage of antiballistic missiles, which Russia is exploiting to destroy our energy infrastructure, significant difficulties are being caused by disruptions to Starshield operations along the front line and in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories. This significantly limits the ability to intercept jet-powered 'Shaheds.' Of course, only the Russians benefit from this," the head of state emphasized.
Zelenskyy also stressed that amid the intensification of trilateral peace talks, Ukraine must have sufficient air defense capabilities to protect itself from Russian attacks.
"Now, as trilateral negotiations have intensified, it is important that Ukraine not be left with empty air-defense launchers and have the means to protect itself. Artificial restrictions do not contribute to peace—they work in favor of the aggressor," the president said.
Zelenskyy also thanked NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for his readiness to help provide Ukraine with PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles, which are used in Patriot air defense systems.
We remind you
Earlier, UNN reported that Ukraine’s European partners are awaiting permission from Washington to transfer PAC-3 missiles through PURL. In October, Ukraine did not receive a single such missile.