Ukraine has warned foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) major powers and said that they had to change strategy if they wanted Kyiv to withstand increasingly destructive Russian air assaults.
The G7 ministers meeting on the island of Capri acknowledged the need to get more air defense systems to Ukraine and applauded Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba as he joined them on the second day of their three-day gathering.
The G7, comprising Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Britain, the United States, and European Union representatives, has been fiercely critical of Russia’s two-year-long invasion of Ukraine.
However, military aid to Kyiv has slowed in recent months, with European partners apparently running low on ammunition and vital U.S. funding blocked by Republicans in Congress.
On Thursday, speaking to reporters as he arrived in Capri, Kuleba bemoaned the fact that while U.S., British, and French forces had intervened on Saturday to help prevent Iranian missiles from hitting Israel, his own country lacked vital defenses.
“The strategy of our partners in Israel seems to be in preventing damage and death… In the last months, the strategy of our partners in Ukraine seems to be in helping (us) to recover from damage,” he said.
“So our job today is to find a way where our partners will design a mechanism, a way that will allow us also to avoid death and destruction in Ukraine.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also took part in Thursday’s G7 meetings, telling reporters beforehand that the military alliance was actively seeking to send more air defense systems as quickly as possible.
“We are working at the possibility of (dispatching) more Patriot batteries to Ukraine. We are in dialogue with some specific countries,” he said.
In Washington, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told reporters that Ukraine had asked for additional air defense equipment and another Patriot missile battery, adding that Kyiv was looking for a minimum of seven Patriot systems.
Shmyhal declined to say how many Patriot systems Ukraine had currently, saying that was classified information.
He said U.S. and White House officials had assured the Ukrainian delegation that weapons would be supplied in a matter of weeks, not months, once a USD 60.8 billion (EUR 57.2 billion) U.S. aid package for Ukraine was approved by Congress.
“We hope it will take days, but not more than weeks,” he said.
Domestic political wrangling has delayed delivery of the U.S. aid, but the U.S. House of Representatives might finally get to vote on the package this weekend, bringing some hope to G7 ministers.
The G7, comprising Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Britain, the United States, and European Union representatives, has been fiercely critical of Russia’s two-year-long invasion of Ukraine.
However, military aid to Kyiv has slowed in recent months, with European partners apparently running low on ammunition and vital U.S. funding blocked by Republicans in Congress.
On Thursday, speaking to reporters as he arrived in Capri, Kuleba bemoaned the fact that while U.S., British, and French forces had intervened on Saturday to help prevent Iranian missiles from hitting Israel, his own country lacked vital defenses.
“The strategy of our partners in Israel seems to be in preventing damage and death… In the last months, the strategy of our partners in Ukraine seems to be in helping (us) to recover from damage,” he said.
“So our job today is to find a way where our partners will design a mechanism, a way that will allow us also to avoid death and destruction in Ukraine.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also took part in Thursday’s G7 meetings, telling reporters beforehand that the military alliance was actively seeking to send more air defense systems as quickly as possible.
“We are working at the possibility of (dispatching) more Patriot batteries to Ukraine. We are in dialogue with some specific countries,” he said.
In Washington, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told reporters that Ukraine had asked for additional air defense equipment and another Patriot missile battery, adding that Kyiv was looking for a minimum of seven Patriot systems.
Shmyhal declined to say how many Patriot systems Ukraine had currently, saying that was classified information.
He said U.S. and White House officials had assured the Ukrainian delegation that weapons would be supplied in a matter of weeks, not months, once a USD 60.8 billion (EUR 57.2 billion) U.S. aid package for Ukraine was approved by Congress.
“We hope it will take days, but not more than weeks,” he said.
Domestic political wrangling has delayed delivery of the U.S. aid, but the U.S. House of Representatives might finally get to vote on the package this weekend, bringing some hope to G7 ministers.
Source: Reuters
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