Zelensky this week wrote to US President Donald Trump and members of the US Congress asking for additional systems and Patriot interceptors, the only effective shield against Russian ballistic missiles in Ukraine’s arsenal.
On Monday, Russia warned foreigners and diplomats to leave Kiev, saying it would launch “systematic attacks” on targets in the Ukrainian capital. In its latest mass attack on Sunday, Russia fired 30 ballistic missiles against Ukraine, and only 11 were shot down, Ukraine’s air force said.
After a meeting with Zelensky in Kiev, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said that the United States has met Kiev’s requests for additional weapons several times in the past, Reuters reports.
– I hope and expect that America will respond positively to this request – Blumenthal said, speaking alongside US Representative Jim Himes, a fellow Democrat.
Blumenthal said both congressmen will lobby for additional air defense interceptors for Ukraine and tougher sanctions on Russia when they return to Washington.
– What we will consider our mission, when we return, is to ensure that Ukraine has the means to carry out the work – he stated.
Since Trump took office, Ukraine has been buying Patriot missiles through NATO’s Priority Ukraine List (PURL) initiative, funded by its European allies.
In his letter, Zelensky thanked the United States for its support, but said the pace of deliveries of interceptor missiles under the PURL no longer kept pace with the scale of the threat in Ukraine.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
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