Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging the United States and European allies to provide additional air defense assistance, particularly interceptor missiles, to counter ongoing Russian attacks. Zelenskyy highlighted recent Russian assaults on Kyiv, stating that while Ukrainian forces successfully intercepted many drones and cruise missiles, they were unable to stop Russian ballistic missiles due to insufficient interceptor missile supplies.
"As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies' stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep 'vanquishing' residential buildings," Zelenskyy stated in a post on X. He emphasized that "the United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror."
Zelenskyy's appeal comes as President Donald Trump prepares to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara, Turkey. The Ukrainian president hopes the summit will result in "strong decisions in support of" Ukraine's "air defense, and thus the protection of ordinary people’s lives."
He noted that Ukrainian warriors performed well in intercepting aerial threats but were hindered by a lack of specific interceptor missiles. Zelenskyy is expected to attend a dinner with NATO leaders on Tuesday, alongside other international dignitaries.
The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has persisted for years, with air defense capabilities remaining a critical component of Ukraine's defense strategy against Russian aerial bombardments.