Ukraine needs more air defense systems – NATO

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg explains how members can help Kiev counter Russia

NATO member states should focus more on providing anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems to Ukraine, the secretary-general of the alliance said on Wednesday. Jens Stoltenberg stressed Kiev’s “urgent need” for such weaponry, ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

“Allies have provided air defense, but we need even more. We need different types of air defense,” the Stoltenberg told journalists, mentioning “short-range, long-range air defense systems to take ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones.”

The NATO chief praised Germany for the reported delivery of advanced IRIS-T interceptors to Kiev. He added that NATO needs to “scale up” such supplies, as Ukraine is a big country with many cities that need protection against Russian strikes.

The NATO chief was referring to this week’s bombardment of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which Moscow called a retaliation for Kiev’s attacks on Russian energy and transport infrastructure.

READ MORE: Ukraine gets highly anticipated arms from Germany – Spiegel

Earlier this week, President Vladimir Putin said Kiev was behind attempts to sabotage a nuclear power plant and the Turkstream natural gas pipeline, as well as last week’s deadly truck bombing of the Crimean Bridge. He claimed Ukraine’s use of “terrorist” tactics warranted the new approach suggested by the Russian military.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko acknowledged that roughly a third of the country’s power infrastructure was damaged over two days of Russian strikes.