The Ukrainian president calls on his allies to deliver more weapons of the same type as the Patriot missiles, to have “air superiority”.
By PM with AFP
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IPreparations for a Ukrainian counter-offensive are complete, but the loss of life could be heavy due to Russian air superiority, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In an interview published Saturday by the wall street journalhe said: “In my opinion, starting today, we are ready […] We firmly believe that we will succeed,” he added, adding that he did not know “how long it will take”.
He warned, however, that the offensive would be “dangerous” without increased Western aid to counter Russian air attacks. “Everyone knows that a counter-offensive without air superiority is very dangerous,” added the Ukrainian president. Only one weapon, the US Patriot surface-to-air missile system, can protect Ukrainian skies, he added, calling for more such weapons to be delivered to his country. “One weapon robs Russia of its ability to intimidate tens of millions of people: Patriot missiles,” he said.
In view of the NATO summit to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, next month, he admitted to having understood that it was not possible for his country to join the Atlantic Alliance during the Russian invasion. “We do not want to be a member of NATO during the war,” he assured. ” It’s too late. But tell me how many lives is worth a sentence at the top of Vilnius? “If we are not recognized and if we do not receive a signal in Vilnius (with a view to possible future membership, editor’s note), I think it is useless for Ukraine to participate in this summit”, said he estimated.