NATO has already announced an agreement to deliver more anti-aircraft systems to kyiv, without specifying when. kyiv says it lacks men and ammunition against Russia.
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“We can no longer wait for decisions to be made.” Volodymyr Zelensky, on Friday April 19, urged NATO to deliver arms as quickly as possible to Ukraine, which “can’t wait any longer” in the face of Russian pressure. After visiting his troops in eastern Ukraine on Friday morning, the Ukrainian president spoke by videoconference to NATO, on the eve of a key vote in the American Congress on aid of 61 billion dollars.
“I ask you to take our requests into consideration as quickly as possible,” launched Volodymyr Zelensky, according to comments reported by his services. “It depends entirely on your choice (…) The choice to determine whether we are truly allies,” he continued. The Ukrainian president is calling for at least seven additional Patriot anti-aircraft systems, two days after a particularly deadly Russian strike which left 18 dead on Wednesday in Chernihiv. As for repelling Russian troops, “As long as Russia has the advantage in the air and can rely on terror carried out by drones and rockets, our capabilities on the ground are unfortunately limited”recognized the Ukrainian president.
“Strengthen” anti-aircraft defense means
At the end of this council between NATO Defense Ministers and Volodymyr Zelensky, the Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, announced an agreement to deliver more anti-aircraft systems to kyiv, without specifying within what time frame . The foreign ministers of the G7 states at the same time took Friday “commitment” of “to strenghten” Ukraine’s air defense capabilities, after a meeting in Italy.
Ukraine is facing ammunition shortages and is unable to protect all of its cities and energy infrastructure, which have been regularly targeted by the Russian army for several weeks. kyiv continues to request ammunition and anti-aircraft systems from its partners to counter these Russian strikes, but divisions in Europe and especially in Washington have slowed down deliveries in the military field. On the ground, Russian night strikes left at least 8 dead, including two children, and 34 injured in the Dnipropetrovsk region, according to Ukrainian emergency services.