Allies to consider supplying Ukraine with more air defense systems – NATO Secretary General
Photo: Reuters
In Brussels, before the North Atlantic Council meeting among foreign ministers began, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that the Alliance's allies have stood by Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's unprovoked aggression. He confirmed that efforts will be made to supply Ukraine with additional air defense resources to protect critical energy infrastructure during the upcoming winter.
Ukrinform reports this.
"Last night, we had a business dinner with [EU High Representative – ed.] Kaja Kallas from the European Union and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha. It was a very good meeting.
We discussed what we can do together to ensure that Ukraine gets the air defense systems it needs to protect its critical and energy infrastructure, gains a position of strength, and can then start negotiations about its future in the region," the NATO Secretary General said.
He noted that the Alliance Allies would do everything possible to ensure that the Ukrainians can stand up to this terrible and unprovoked Russian attack and that Ukraine gets the air defense systems it needs.
According to Rutte, the Allies have been providing such assistance to Ukraine continuously for the past two and a half years, for more than 1,000 days since the Russian invasion began, including by supplying air defense systems to Ukraine.
Now, the Allies are realizing the particular need for such capabilities to protect energy infrastructure, as Russia is once again trying to use winter as a weapon in its war against Ukraine.
"This was discussed last night. As you know, in the world, we do not have an excessive flow of air defense systems. This means that you always have to prioritize. But there was an explicit agreement at the table last night that assistance to Ukraine, especially with regard to infrastructure, should be a priority.
I am convinced that in the coming days and weeks, the Allies will consider how to ensure that everything they can supply to Ukraine is provided," Rutte stressed.
It's worth mentioning that the NATO foreign ministers are currently holding a two-day meeting in Brussels. Yesterday, on December 3, the Ukraine-NATO Council convened at the Alliance's headquarters for a working dinner attended by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
As reported, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, stated before the NATO ministerial meeting at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Alliance that to avoid a blackout due to Russian shelling, Ukraine urgently needs at least 20 additional systems such as Hawks, NASAMS, or IRIS-T.
For reference:
Germany intends to provide Ukraine with more air defense resources that were previously announced by the end of this year. Specifically, Kyiv will receive the sixth IRIS-T air defense system and launchers for Patriot.
In addition, in connection with forecasts that Ukraine will experience a severe winter, the Netherlands provided three launchers for the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system.
Also, the American-made NASAMS air defense system, which the Canadian government helped to purchase, has already been delivered to Ukraine.
Ukraine's leader announced on September 5 that they expect their international partners to follow through with a comprehensive solution for providing air defense systems and other military support. The leader also thanked Romania for donating the Patriot air defense system.
In July, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine's air defense had been strengthened—the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system had arrived from Germany.
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