Belfast and Washington: Amid a fresh round of Russian attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructure, a senior Ukrainian political official is questioning why desperately needed equipment committed by military aid partners, including Patriot surface-to-air weapon systems, are taking so long to arrive.
“Sometimes these gaps are excessively long. You cannot do military planning. You cannot calculate what you [should be able to] count on, on the battlefield,” said Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian minister for foreign affairs, during a doorstep address at a meeting of European Union (EU) foreign ministers, held in Brussels, Belgium, August 29. “These things, after two years, should work like a Swiss watch, without any delays and in the most efficient ways.”
As just one example, he pointed to delays receiving air defence weapons like the US-produced Patriot typically used to intercept aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range ballistic missiles, which has also been credited with shooting down Russian Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles during the war in Ukraine. Earlier this year, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a plea for an additional seven Patriot systems; despite promises, Kuleba indicated those systems are still too slow arriving in country.
“In April, when we made a plea for the delivery of more Patriot systems, good progress has been made and announcements were made, but some … were announced and not delivered yet,” said Kuleba. “We are … entering a school year, and we have to protect our cities. We have to protect our children. So, I will urge all partners who have made their pledges to finally deliver these systems.”
Since February 2022, Washington has committed to providing Kyiv more than $55.5 billion in military assistance, according to recent US State Department numbers.
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