Key Takeaways
- Ukraine is contracting around 1,000 U.S.-designed Patriot missiles.
- The majority of the missiles will be shipped in the coming years.
- Ukraine is seeking more urgent aid and air defence missiles from Western partners.
Ukraine is set to receive around 1,000 U.S.-designed Patriot air-defence missiles, according to Kyiv’s defence minister, Yevhenii Khmara. Speaking at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, Khmara highlighted the importance of this supply, which is being facilitated by allies and through a European Union loan.
However, Khmara noted that the majority of the missiles will only be shipped in the coming years, and called for more urgent aid. He also mentioned that Ukraine is being hindered by a shortfall of $27 billion in financing for drone supplies.
In a related development, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte emphasized the need for allies to increase their support to enable Ukraine to seize the opportunities it is creating across all fronts and defend itself in the skies.
During the meeting, Khmara presented a plan for Ukraine’s conduct of the war, which is already being implemented, along with a list of the biggest threats posed by Moscow. He stated that Russia is making no strategic gains along the 1,200-km front line but is compensating for battlefield failures with “terror against Ukrainians.”
Russia resumed its near-constant drone and missile attacks on Kyiv on Tuesday after a brief halt for the visit of U.S. peace negotiators. According to officials, five people were killed in the capital, along with others in various regions.
Khmara also called for more air defence missiles from Western partners in exchange for improvements in missile performance under contracts signed with Kyiv.
The Defence Ministry’s summary of the meeting noted that Ukraine is asking its Western partners to provide more air defence missiles from their stocks in exchange for improvements in missile performance under contracts signed with Kyiv.
The ongoing conflict continues to pose significant challenges for Ukraine, with the country seeking to bolster its defences against Russian aggression.
