Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Western partners to provide his country with additional defense systems in order to create an air shield against Russian missile attacks.
Zelensky discussed Ukraine’s request for US-made air defense systems during a virtual meeting with the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein Forum.
The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, said during the meeting that members of the group this year will send F-16 fighter jets, trained pilots and service personnel to Ukraine.
Ukraine has said it wants these types of fighter jets to achieve its goal of taking control of its skies.
But Austin said today’s meeting focused on air defense systems, which Zelensky says Ukraine urgently needs to save lives.
“This year, Russian planes have already dropped more than 9,000 bombs on Ukraine, and we need to have the ability to shoot down warplanes so that they cannot approach our positions and our borders,” Zelensky said.
He added that Ukraine needs at least seven Patriot systems to protect cities.
The Contact Group meeting was held days after US President Joe Biden signed off on $61 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine. The US said $1 billion in artillery, air defense, and other equipment will soon be heading to the battlefield in Ukraine.
Austin said that since the Contact Group was established two years ago, its members have given Ukraine more than 70 medium- and long-range air defense systems as well as thousands of missiles.
The group has also sent over 3,000 armored vehicles, including 800 battle tanks, as Ukraine continues its fight against the invasion that Russia launched in February 2022.