Ukraine to Acquire Nearly 1,000 Patriot Missiles From Allies

Bangla Press Desk:  Ukraine is contracting a supply of around 1,000 missiles ​for U.S.-designed Patriot air-defence systems with the help of allies ‌and through a European Union loan, Kyiv's defence minister said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, Yevhenii Khmara also said that ​the majority of the missiles would only be shipped ​in the coming years, and called for more urgent aid.

In ⁠comments posted later by the Defence Ministry, Khmara said Ukraine was ​asking its Western partners to provide more air defence missiles from their ​stocks in exchange for improvements in missile performance under contracts signed with Kyiv.

He said Ukraine was being hindered by a shortfall of $27 billion in financing for ​drone supplies.

The ministry's summary of the meeting said Khmara had presented ​a plan for Ukraine's conduct of the war that was already being implemented along ‌with ⁠a list of what Kyiv considered to be the biggest threats posed by Moscow.

Khmara said Russia was making no strategic gains along the 1,200-km (750-mile) front line, but Moscow was making up for its battlefield failures ​with "terror against Ukrainians".

Russia resumed ​its near-constant drone ⁠and missile attacks on Kyiv on Tuesday after a brief halt for the visit of US ​peace negotiators. Officials said five people were killed in ​the capital ⁠along with others in various regions.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told the meeting that Ukraine's allies had no choice but to boost their support to ⁠enable ​Kyiv "to seize the opportunities it is creating ​now across all fronts and to defend itself in the skies".