NATO must prove to Ukraine that it is its “ally” in the war against Russia, by accelerating its deliveries of arms and ammunition “as quickly as possible”, President Volodymyr Zelensky urged on Friday. members of the Alliance.
“Putin must be brought back to earth and our skies must become safe again”
His videoconference speech to NATO came on the eve of a key vote by the American Congress on an aid package of 61 billion dollars, expected by kyiv for several months. Russian President Vladimir “Putin must be brought back to earth and our skies must become safe again,” said the Ukrainian head of state, whose remarks were reported by his services. “And it depends entirely on your choice,” he insisted. “The choice to determine whether we are truly allies.”
On the ground, Ukraine is facing ammunition shortages and difficulties in protecting all of its cities and energy infrastructure, which have been regularly targeted by the Russian army for several weeks. However, kyiv is constantly asking its partners for more ammunition and anti-aircraft defense systems to counter these Russian strikes, while the divisions in Europe and especially in Washington have slowed down deliveries in the military field.
“This year, we can no longer wait for decisions to be made. I ask you to consider our requests as quickly as possible,” Volodymyr Zelensky said urgently. The vote in the US Congress scheduled for Saturday is of “vital importance” for Ukraine, he said. The president also called for, among other things, seven additional modern Patriot anti-aircraft systems, “a minimum figure” according to him, and criticized the slow delivery of shells. “They must finally arrive at the front,” he said.
On Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky also recognized “the limits” of his army, which defended itself “bravely” against the more numerous Russian troops. “It is obvious that now, while Russia has the advantage in the air and can rely on the terror caused by drones and rockets, our capabilities on the ground are unfortunately limited,” he admitted, after the failure of Kiev’s counter-offensive in the summer of 2023. The Ukrainian president finally clarified that Ukraine had been the target of “nearly 1,200 Russian rockets” and “more than 1,500” explosive drones of the type Shahed since the beginning of the year.