Zelenskyy hints at secret agreements with Macron
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron (Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had made "some important decisions" together with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, Suspilne reports.
Zelenskyy emphasized that he and Macron agreed not to discuss the agreements publicly for now.
"Everything we are counting on – air defense and so on – has been confirmed," the President said.
Ukraine’s air defense
In February, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that due to a critical shortage of PAC-3 interceptor missiles for Patriot systems, Ukrainian systems remained empty last month and were unable to repel enemy ballistic strikes.
At present, more than 80% of Ukraine’s territory remains unprotected from ballistic missile attacks. Such threats can be effectively countered only by systems like Patriot or SAMP/T, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces still lack in sufficient numbers.
Zelenskyy also said that personnel decisions are planned in the Air Force units responsible for countering these drones. The changes are aimed at significantly strengthening the effectiveness of short-range air defense in the most problematic directions.
Earlier, Germany, together with its allies, gathered PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems for Ukraine, and they are already on their way to the country. However, this aid package is unlikely to significantly affect the situation on the battlefield, as it may be enough for roughly two weeks.
The Cabinet of Ministers has allowed critical infrastructure enterprises to create their own air defense groups in order to strengthen protection against Russian attacks.
