Ukraine aims for more air defences at NATO summit

Agence France-Presse examines key questions about Kyiv’s air defence needs and how they could be addressed.

A protest in Vienna against the Russian shelling of Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv. Picture: AFP

Ukraine is desperate for more air defences, and this week’s NATO summit in Washington offers President Volodymyr Zelensky an opportunity to push Kyiv’s supporters for additional batteries to protect against Russian strikes.

Mr Zelensky will attend the summit, which marks the 75th anniversary of the trans-Atlantic alliance and will bring together leaders of countries that have provided Kyiv with tens of billions of dollars in military aid to help it counter Russia’s invasion.

With Ukraine unlikely to receive the invitation to join NATO that it is seeking, new air defences are the most concrete assistance it is likely to get at the summit.

What systems?

For months Mr Zelensky has said his country does not have enough air defence systems and he has requested at least seven more Pat­riot batteries in addition to those already donated by the US, Germany and The Netherlands. Last weekend the Ukrainian leader praised air defence donations but said “more concrete decisions” were needed “to protect all our cities and villages, and to truly overcome Russian terror”.

“Next week, we will work with our partners for such decisions – preparations are already under way,” Mr Zelensky said.

Why are they needed?

Russia has exploited gaps in Ukraine’s air defences to carry out devastating strikes on civilians and infrastructure, as well as to pummel Kyiv’s troops on the front lines.

Highlighting the threat, Ukrainian officials said more than 30 people were killed on Monday by a wave of dozens of missiles that hit cities across the country and ripped through a children’s hospital in Kyiv.

Meanwhile Russia has claimed recent attacks on three Ukrainian air bases, raising questions over how Kyiv will protect a fleet of F-16 fighters due to arrive in the country later this year.

And Ukraine pointed to its lack of air superiority as a factor limiting its army’s ability to advance on the battlefield following Kyiv’s lacklustre 2023 counteroffensive.

Ukraine’s international supporters have sought to cobble together multi-layer air defences for the country consisting of low, medium and high-altitude systems that can protect against a variety of threats.

But doing so from a mix of different new and older Western and Soviet-era systems amid an active conflict has proven to be a challenge, and shortfalls remain.

What’s on offer?

The US is reportedly considering donating another Patriot battery to Kyiv, which sees them as particularly valuable because it is one of the only systems capable of downing Russia’s most advanced missiles.

On Monday US President Joe Biden promised action to boost Ukraine’s defences in a statement that described Moscow’s missile strikes that day as a “horrific reminder of Russia’s brutality”.

“Together with our allies, we will be announcing new measures to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences to help protect their cities and civilians from Russian strikes,” Biden said in a statement, without providing specifics.

Washington is also in talks about potentially transferring up to eight Patriot batteries from Israel to Ukraine, US media has reported. And The Netherlands is spearheading an effort to construct a Patriot missile system out of different components from the stockpiles of various countries.

Germany and Romania have already responded to Mr Zelensky’s pleas for Patriots by pledging one additional system each, while Italy has said it will donate an advanced SAMP/T air defence system.

AFP