Zelenskyj speaks with US Senate
Blinken is supposed to help Ukraine with fighter jets
03/05/2022 10:04 p.m
The Ukrainian government is satisfied with the delivery of anti-tank weapons. The situation is different when it comes to air defense and fighter jets: President Zelenskyy video calls US senators to ask for planes, while Foreign Minister Kuleba is trying to convince his US colleague personally.
At a meeting with Antony Blinken, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba asked his US counterpart for more military support. His country urgently needs combat aircraft and air defense systems, Kuleba explained at the approximately 45-minute meeting on the Polish-Ukrainian border. “I hope that the Ukrainian people can see this as a clear sign that we have friends who are standing by our side in the truest sense of the word,” Kuleba said after the meeting at the Korczowa-Krakovets border crossing, which took place under high security .
Kuleba explained that he had asked his US colleagues to increase arms deliveries to his country. “We are satisfied with the already agreed deliveries of anti-tank weapons and ammunition,” he told journalists. Nevertheless, Kyiv needs further air defense support: “It’s no secret that we have the greatest need for fighter jets, combat aircraft and air defense systems.”
Ukraine needs “air defense systems to ensure the safety of our airspace. If we lose airspace, there will be a lot more blood on the ground,” Kuleba continued. He also criticized NATO’s refusal to set up a no-fly zone over Ukraine. The alliance said on Friday that such a move would open a direct conflict between NATO and Moscow, threatening a further escalation of the war. “I think it’s a sign of weakness,” Kuleba said. “It is the Ukrainian people who will pay the price for NATO’s hesitance,” he added. The US Secretary of State encouraged his colleague: “Ukraine will prevail,” emphasized Blinken.
Video call with 300 senators
In a phone call with US senators, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a “desperate request” for fighter jets. As the majority leader of the Democrats in the Congress Chamber, Chuck Schumer, explained in Washington, Zelenskyj wanted Russian-made machines from Eastern European countries. “These planes are needed very badly.” He will do everything to facilitate their transfer, Schumer said. According to the “New York Times”, Zelenskyj spoke via video call with more than 300 representatives of the US Congress. He also called for the establishment of a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
According to a media report, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on the EU and NATO countries to end their arms deliveries to Ukraine. The RIA news agency reports that there is particular concern that anti-aircraft missiles of the “Stinger” type could fall into the hands of terrorists.