Kuleba: Shooting down Russian missiles or drones will not lead to partners' participation in the war
Kyiv • UNN
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on partners to shoot down Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine. He emphasized that this will not lead to the partners' participation in the war and asked for support in this matter.
Ukraine wants Poland to shoot down Russian missiles or drones flying towards their country and needs the support of its partners in this regard. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and added that the argument that this will lead to the participation of partners in the war is invalid. This was reported by UNN with reference to Politico.
Kuleba said he would ask the ministers to allow the use of air defense capabilities in EU countries, including Poland, to protect part of Ukraine's airspace.
I do not question Poland's readiness to create defense mechanisms, they cannot do it alone. We need partners to support them in this. The argument that this will lead to the participation of some of them in the war is invalid. You don't go to war by shooting down a missile or a drone that is flying in your direction and may actually cause damage to your own territory
Kuleba also wants neighboring countries to take their support for Ukraine to a new level.
“We are talking about aircraft (not only) flying in Polish airspace, but also capable of intercepting Russian missiles in Ukrainian airspace,” Kuleba said.
Kuleba noted that Zelenskyy discussed this with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the July summit of the Alliance.
Since then, we have been working on this through military and diplomatic channels, but the time has come to make a decision. You have recently seen how bad the Russian missile and drone attacks have been
He also wants to encourage direct purchases of weapons from Ukrainian manufacturers.
“After two and a half years of war, we have increased production and capacity. And the most cost-effective way to provide Ukraine with lethal and non-lethal weapons is to buy from our own producers,” Kuleba said.
Kuleba declined to provide more details on Zelenskiy's claim this week that Ukraine successfully tested its first ballistic missile, but he emphasized that Ukraine's rapidly growing defense industrial base should not be an excuse for allies to take their foot off the gas.
“Of course, every new weapon we develop on our own makes us feel more confident. But Ukraine's success in developing and using the most advanced weapons should not serve as an excuse for partner countries not to supply similar weapons to Ukraine. The scale of this war and the sacrifices we are making have proven that we can only succeed if we act together,” Kuleba emphasized.
