Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday (Mar 19) urged the allies to supply more air defences, claiming that Russia had launched 130 missiles, more than 320 attack drones and almost 900 guided bombs in attacks this month alone.
Zelensky’s appeal comes on the day when US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that Ukraine’s survival was in danger. He also sought to convince allies that the US was committed to Kyiv.
Austin is leading the monthly meeting known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, of about 50 allies that have been militarily supporting Ukraine.
In a press conference after the meeting, “Ukraine’s survival is in danger. Our allies and partners continue to step up, the United States must also.”
In the war against Russia, which started on February 24, 2022, Kyiv has relied heavily on foreign military aid.
Amid waning aid and military assistance, a major aid package from the US, which is a close wartime ally, has been blocked by congressional Republicans for months.
On social media platform X, Zelensky said, “We require more protection, specifically a fully realistic number of air defence systems that our partners possess.”
“Patriots and other systems must do what they were designed for: protect lives, not collect dust in storage,” he added.
The Ukrainian president said that Ukraine’s air force has “demonstrated that it is capable of successfully shooting down” missiles, drones and Russian military aircraft.
Every day and night, Russia uses drones, missiles, and guided bombs to wage a terrorist war against our people, against ordinary Ukrainian cities and villages.
Since the beginning of March, Russian troops have used 130 different types of missiles, over 320 “Shahed” drones, and… pic.twitter.com/pZTm3n2V0r
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 19, 2024
The Ukrainian defence ministry said that a Ukrainian delegation prioritised securing more air defence systems and missiles at a meeting of allied defence ministers in Germany’s Ramstein air base on Tuesday.
In the past few weeks, Russian troops have stepped up their use of highly destructive guided bombs in recent months, targeting battlefield positions and regions close to the front line.
A Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson said in February that Russia had launched more than 8,000 missiles and 4,630 drones during the invasion to date.
Ukraine on NATO membership
Ukraine’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that the nation is working to secure “a strong and far-reaching step” towards membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at the military alliance’s Washington summit in July.
On being asked about Ukraine’s goals for the Washington summit during an online news conference, top diplomat Dmytro Kuleba said that there was “very active engagement” with NATO’s leadership and allies. However, he added that he would not go into detail about the deliberations.
“We think that Ukraine meets the main criteria of membership, which is the capacity to defend NATO borders. That’s what we are doing by defending Ukraine,” he told reporters.
“…let me say this, we are working hard to make a strong and far-reaching step towards Ukrainian membership in NATO at the Washington summit,” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
