(Kyiv) Ukraine needs ‘constant’ military support from Western countries, not ‘one-off’ aid, until it wins against Moscow’s forces, its deputy minister said on Sunday. of Defense, Ganna Malyar.
Posted at 2:11 p.m.
“We have already entered a protracted war and we will need constant support. The West must understand that its aid cannot be one-off, but must continue until we win,” Ganna Malyar told local media.
Ukraine is awaiting deliveries of more powerful missile systems promised by US President Joe Biden, hoping that this will change the balance of power against Russia in the east of the country.
The United States announced on Wednesday that four Himars (multiple rocket launchers mounted on light armor), 1,000 additional Javelin anti-tank missiles and four Mi-17 helicopters will be sent to Ukraine as part of a new package. military aid.
Undersecretary of Defense Colin Kahl said Ukrainian forces needed about three weeks of training to use the Himars, highly mobile guided-missile rocket launchers that could give the Ukrainians a distance advantage and precision in the Battle of Donbass.
Several countries have provided Ukraine with military aid to defend itself against the Russian invasion since February 24, taking care, however, not to become belligerents themselves.
PHOTO NATACHA PISARENKO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
A worker looks towards a railway hit by a Russian bombardment in Kyiv.
Russian strikes targeted Kyiv at dawn on Sunday, the first since late April, with Vladimir Putin threatening to strike new targets if the West provides long-range missiles to Ukraine.
In the event of such deliveries, Russia would hit “sites that we have not targeted so far”, Putin told the Rossiya-1 TV channel, without further details.