Ukraine recently received a small number of U.S.-made Patriot interceptor missiles capable of shooting down Russian ballistic missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
Kiev also received confirmation of future deliveries of the French Crotal surface-to-air missile defense system, Zelensky added, but it was not clear how many missiles had arrived or who had delivered them.
The leaders of Britain and France promised yesterday to provide Ukraine with stronger military support - including access to secret technology and faster deliveries of air defense missiles – during a meeting of allies organized to celebrate Ukraine's Independence Day, Reuters reported.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who arrived in Kiev on his first foreign visit since taking office last month, urged the gathered members of the “Coalition of the Willing“ to “do everything they can“ to strengthen Ukraine's defenses against Russian air strikes.
Meanwhile, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, dozens of countries issued a joint declaration in which they reaffirmed their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and called on Russia to accept an immediate, complete and unconditional ceasefire.
President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the resilience of the Ukrainian people during more than four years of war.
“Ukraine absolutely wants peace, but it is not ready to simply surrender“, Zelensky said, adding that Russia would not stop its aggression even if Ukraine gave in to its demands for more territory in the east of the country.
Dressed in a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt, Zelensky thanked foreign leaders for coming to Kiev to show their support for the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's secession from the Soviet Union.
Standing alongside Zelensky and European Council President Antonio Costa, Burnham said his choice of Kiev for his first foreign visit showed how important it was to him to help Ukraine's defense.
“We are with you in this fight to the end, with all our heart and soul,“ Burnham said, pledging to continue that support “despite Russia's outrageous threats to my country“.
“This is the time to keep up the pressure on Russia. "It's time to limit its ability to fund this illegal war," Burnham said, calling for more economic sanctions.
The UK announced last night that it would give Kiev access to secret technology so that Ukraine could start producing its own long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles capable of striking deep into Russian territory. France has already agreed to license the technology for the European missile.
In response, the Kremlin said that the use of secret British technology would "add fuel to the fire" of deteriorating relations between the two countries, after warning London last week that there would be "consequences" for the supply of drones to Kiev.
Amid the escalation of Russian ballistic missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, Kiev is experiencing an acute shortage of US-made interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system - the only weapon in its arsenal capable of shooting down such missiles.
Zelensky said Ukraine needed at least 300 interceptors to survive the winter and called on allies to deliver air defense munitions before Russia renewed its strikes on his country's energy infrastructure.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who co-chaired the coalition meeting via video link, said the series of deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks had shown that allies needed to speed up deliveries of interceptors and that France would make its contribution.
“I think it is very important for all of us to speed up deliveries,” Macron said during the meeting, urging countries not to back down in the face of Russian threats. “For me The main thing is very clear: keep calm and move forward.
Zelensky said during the meeting that Ukraine's military efforts are being hampered by a $27 billion defense budget deficit this year and called for additional financial support. He suggested that Russia's frozen assets abroad be used to finance the deficit.
Paying tribute to the Ukrainian people and the soldiers defending Ukraine, Zelensky called on allies to provide "everything necessary" to end the war. "We are not asking you to fight for us," he added.
In a joint statement, more than 50 UN countries called on Russia to accept an unconditional ceasefire. "This senseless war and the enormous human suffering can end immediately," the statement said. "Russia simply must accept the unconditional ceasefire that Ukraine and the international community have been calling for for more than a year and a half."
Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, accused Western countries of using Ukraine as a tool to put pressure on Moscow, "while falsely posing as defenders of peace."