Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday called for additional air-defence systems to be sent to Kyiv to help protect against Russian strikes, adding that a pause in U.S. funding had helped Moscow seize the initiative.
Mr. Zelensky’s comments come just days after the U.S. Congress emerged from a half-year of deadlock to approve a US$61-billion aid package for Ukraine.
On Friday, the Pentagon announced that it will buy US$6-billion worth of new weapons for Ukraine including interceptors for the Patriot air-defence system, the single largest assistance package U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has provided.
“This year, Russian jets [have] already used more than 9,000 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine and we need the ability to shoot down the air-combat aircraft so that they do not approach our positions and borders,” Mr. Zelensky said at the start of a virtual meeting led by the United States on helping arm Ukraine.
The first such meeting, known as the Ukraine Contact Group, was held two years ago on Friday.
“While we were waiting for a decision on the American support, the Russian army managed to seize the initiative on the battlefield,” Mr. Zelensky said.
“We can still now, not only stabilize the front, but also move forward achieving our Ukrainian goals in the war,” he added.
After the meeting, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said he would ask allies to accept more risk.
“We’re going to ask [allies] to accept a little bit more risk so that we can do what’s necessary in Ukraine,” Mr. Austin told reporters.
Mr. Austin said the Patriot missile-defence system itself would not be a “silver bullet” for Kyiv, but that the plan is rather to integrate it with other missile-defence systems.
Spain’s Defence Minister said on Friday that Madrid would deliver Patriot anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, after being pressed by NATO and European Union allies to send more military aid to Kyiv.
The new US$6-billion U.S. weapons package announced will be purchased from defence contractors and not drawn from U.S. stocks. Delivery to Ukraine will take time, perhaps even years for some systems.
The United States hopes its new deliveries of weaponry will help Ukraine rebuild defences and refit its forces as it recovers from a gap in U.S. assistance, but it does not expect Kyiv to launch large-scale offensive operations against Russian forces in the near term.
The influx of weapons could improve Kyiv’s chances of averting a major Russian breakthrough in the east, just more than two years since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion, military analysts say.
But it remains unclear how much pressure Kyiv can apply on Russia after months of rationing artillery as its stocks ran low. Kyiv also faces manpower shortages on the battlefield and questions linger over the strength of its fortifications along a sprawling, 1,000-kilometre front line.