Kiev announces delivery of anti-aircraft and missile defenses by the US and eight other European countries
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal announced today that the United States and eight European countries are ready to soon deliver new anti-aircraft defense systems, in addition to Patriot and NASAMS missiles.
“International partners listened to us. We convinced them that strengthening Ukraine’s air defense is the first priority”, he said, quoted by the Ukrainian media.
According to Shmigal, Italy will send its second SAMP-T system, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, while Germany will provide Gepard anti-aircraft armored vehicles and IRIS-T guided missiles.
Shmigal specified that the Patriot missiles will arrive in greater quantities due to deliveries from countries such as the United States, Germany, Romania, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and Norway. He also pointed out that Sweden will send two radar surveillance planes to Ukraine.
“It will allow us to detect aerial objectives, including those from enemy territory, and prepare us better to repel attacks”, he maintained.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24, 2022, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since the Second World War (1939-1945).
Ukraine has relied on financial and armament aid from Western allies, who have also enacted sanctions against key sectors of the Russian economy to try to reduce Moscow’s ability to finance the war effort.
The last few months have been marked by large-scale Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, while Kiev’s forces have targeted targets on Russian territory close to the border and on the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014.
Already in the third year of war, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been faced with a lack of soldiers and weapons and ammunition, despite repeated promises of help from Western allies, which have now begun to materialize.
