Stoltenberg: Air Defence for Ukraine Is a NATO Priority

by Olha Povaliaieva
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
2 MIN
Stoltenberg: Air Defence for Ukraine Is a NATO Priority

On October 12, at a summit of NATO defence ministers, Stoltenberg said that NATO's priority is to increase the number of air defence systems for Ukraine

Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO remains steadfast in supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes. In view of the escalating Russian missile attacks against civilian infrastructure, the supply of air defence systems to Ukraine will be a priority for the alliance states.
"Today, we will meet with the minister of defence of Ukraine Reznikov. We will reaffirm that we remain firm in our support for Ukraine, that we are ready for the long haul, and that we will help them for as long as necessary. There will also be a meeting of minister Reznikov within the framework of the Contact Group on Ukraine under the auspices of the United States, as well as a business dinner from all ministers, where we will discuss how to expedite assistance to Ukraine. Giving Ukraine more air defence systems will be the highest priority," Jens Stoltenberg.

The secretary thanked the states that have already begun supplying air defence to Ukraine. In particular, IRIS-T from Germany, which Ukraine received yesterday.

"The Allies have already provided anti-aircraft assets, but we need even more. We need different types of air defence — close-range and far-reaching systems that will be able to intercept ballistic and cruise missiles and drones — we need different systems for different tasks. Of course, Ukraine is a large country with many cities. Therefore, we need to scale up to help Ukraine defend more cities and more territories against horrific Russian attacks against civilians," added Jens Stoltenberg.

Now Russia is deliberately destroying the energy system of Ukraine. This is the reason for the forced transfer of air defence to Ukraine.

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