German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned Tuesday that Ukraine “urgently” requires further air defense systems to protect itself against Russian strikes.
“Russian rocket terror, constant air alerts, permanent power outages, hardly any water: The situation in Ukraine has once again escalated dramatically with the massive Russian air strikes on the civilian infrastructure and the brutal Russian offensive in the Kharkiv area,” Baerbock said in a press statement during her trip to Kyiv.
“To protect Ukraine from the Russian hail of missiles and drones, it urgently needs more air defense. That’s why, together with [German] Defense Minister Pistorius, I launched a global initiative for more air defense,” she added.
So far, this amounts to an additional €1 billion to support Ukraine’s aerial protection, she explained.
On Monday, Vladimir Putin’s Russian troops struck a lakeside resort in the Kharkiv region, killing at least 11 and wounding many more in a dangerous new onslaught on the northeastern part of Ukraine. This is worsening the situation for Kyiv, which is already struggling with a lack of troop numbers and suffering from a lack of ammunition.
In an interview with Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said about Kharkiv: “Today the situation is under control. A week ago it was more difficult.” He added, “We are negotiating with partners so that we can use their weapons against buildups of Russian equipment on the border and even [on] their territory.”
Baerbock said, “Our support is rooted in the deep belief that Ukraine will win this war. Putin speculates that we will eventually run out of air, but we have staying power. Germany, together with many other countries from all parts of the world, stands firmly on Ukraine’s side.”
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