Response to Russia’s revenge
US promises modern anti-aircraft defenses to Kyiv
10/11/2022 1:13 am
Russia wants to spread fear and terror with a carpet of rockets on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. But the US reaction shows the opposite: President Biden promises Zelenskyj massive help with air defense.
US President Joe Biden has promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy further military aid “including advanced air defense systems”. In a telephone call, Biden assured Selenskyj that he would “continue to provide Ukraine with everything it needs for its defense,” the White House in Washington said on Monday. The US President also expressed his condolences to Zelenskyy after the massive Russian airstrikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
Zelenskyj wrote on Twitter of a “productive conversation” with Biden. “Air defense is currently the top priority of our defense cooperation,” the Ukrainian President said. According to Ukrainian police, at least eleven people were killed and dozens more injured in the large-scale Russian attack on Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv for the first time since June. In total, Russia fired more than 80 rockets.
Moscow cited the weekend’s explosion of a truck bomb on the strategically important Crimean bridge as the reason, which the Russian government believes had been planted by the Ukrainian secret service. In the event of further “terrorist attacks,” Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened an even harsher response.
Baerbock: “We do everything”
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had previously promised Kyiv rapid air defense assistance. “We are doing everything we can to quickly strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses,” wrote the Greens politician on Twitter in the afternoon. She spoke with a view to the Russian rocket fire of people in fear of death in the morning traffic in Kiev and an impact crater next to a playground and said: “It is vile and unjustifiable that Putin is shooting at cities and civilians with rockets.”
Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht reiterated her announcement made a week and a half ago in Odessa: “In the next few days, the first of four state-of-the-art Iris-T SLM air defense systems will be ready to provide effective protection for the people of Ukraine.”
In his evening video, Zelenskyy listed all the conversations he had with international partners about the rocket attacks. In addition to Biden, he also spoke to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Poland’s head of state Andrzej Duda and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. There were further talks with the heads of government Justin Trudeau (Canada), Mark Rutte (Netherlands) and Liz Truss (Great Britain).