For counteroffensive, Ukraine needs fighter jets, long-range missiles - Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs

Ukraine requires fighter jets to support a counteroffensive but allies are currently unwilling to provide them.

That’s according to Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Andriy Melnyk, who spoke at the national telethon, Ukrinform reports with reference to lb.ua.

The senior diplomat noted that the help Ukraine's allies vowed to provide at the Ramstein meeting was insufficient. Air defense systems are indeed important for Ukraine, Melnyk notes, but now it is about launching an offensive rather than remaining in defense. For offensive operations, fighter jets are primarily needed to back the advance.

"Unfortunately, this ‘red line’ has not yet been crossed in Ramstein. For these offensive actions to be successful, we need offensive weapons, primarily long-range missiles and fighter jets. The F-16 is the best option, but there are others, too," Melnyk explained.

Earlier, the deputy chief of the Foreign Ministry said that Ukraine needs 10 times more aid to end the war as early as this year.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced last Friday that member countries of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group had provided the Armed Forces of Ukraine with more than 230 tanks, thousands of units of other combat equipment, as well as ammunition, bringing the total amount of security assistance to over $55 billion.