Kuleba shares expectations for tomorrow's Ukraine-NATO Council meeting
Photo: Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
At the upcoming Ukraine-NATO Council meeting on Wednesday, January 10th, the Ukrainian side hopes for swift commitments from partner countries to assist the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces in repelling mass attacks by Russian occupiers, according to Dmytro Kuleba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
"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," said the minister.
Given recent Russian aerial attacks aimed at exhausting the defense resources of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kuleba requests allies to regularly send ammunition to replenish Ukraine's air defense reserves.
"Ensuring regular supplies of missiles for Patriots, IRIS-T, NASAMS, and other systems is a top priority that must be completed today, not tomorrow. Furthermore, 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," he emphasized.
Kuleba also expressed the opinion that it makes sense for Ukraine's allies to mobilize all available resources to strengthen Ukraine's air defense now.
The Ukraine-NATO Council
The Ukraine-NATO Council is a forum where consultations between Ukraine and NATO member countries can occur on various levels. The key topics of discussion in such meetings include security issues, particularly the Russian war against Ukraine.
Tomorrow's meeting in Brussels is planned in response to the recent increase in aerial attacks and mass strikes by Russian occupiers on Ukrainian cities and civilian objects, resulting in hundreds of casualties.
Russian massive attacks
Recall that on December 29, 2023, Russian terrorists launched a mass attack on Ukraine, using about 160 missiles of various types, excluding Kalibr. Ukrainian air defense forces then successfully shot down 114 enemy airborne targets.
On January 2, Russian occupiers released 35 kamikaze drones over Ukraine at night, all of which were shot down. Subsequently, invaders launched 99 missiles of various types, including air-ballistic Kinzhals, in the morning. Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi reported that on January 2, air defense forces shot down 72 missiles, including all 10 Kinzhals.
In response to the missile and drone terror by Russian occupiers, NATO strongly condemned the strikes on peaceful cities and civilian objects in Ukraine, expressing its determination to strengthen the air defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
