Kuleba hopes NATO-Ukraine Council meeting will help bolster Ukraine's air defenses

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said he hopes that Wednesday's NATO-Ukraine Council meeting will be followed with prompt commitments to help his country's air defenses fend off waves of devastating Russian air attacks.

The Ukrainian foreign policy chief said this in a comment to Politico, Ukrinform reports.

"First and foremost, we expect the meeting to expedite critical decisions on further strengthening Ukraine's air defense capabilities. Both in terms of modern systems and their ammunition. [...]We are deeply grateful to all of our partners who continue to provide Ukraine with the means to defend its sky," Kuleba said.

As the recent Russian air attacks aim to deplete Ukraine's defense resources, Kuleba is asking allies to send stocks regularly: "Ensuring regular supplies of missiles for Patriots, IRIS-T, NASAMS, and other systems is a top priority that must be completed today, not tomorrow."

The minister added that the more successful Ukraine's air defense, the less likely it is that a Russian missile or drone will accidentally fly into bordering NATO airspace.

"On all accounts, it makes sense for our allies to mobilize all available forces to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses right now," he said.

The NATO-Ukraine Council is gathering in Brussels on January 10 in reaction to a recent upsurge in attacks from Russia that have hammered cities across Ukraine, killing dozens of people.

On December 29 and January 2, Russia attacked Ukraine with almost 300 missiles and more than 200 Shahed drones.

Photo: Ukrainian Foreign Ministry