Zelenskyy noted that the systems are requested by Ukraine’s Air Force and are needed both urgently and for long-term defence guarantees. “There is a number of systems that are needed as soon as possible, and in addition, there is one that is needed in the long term as a guarantee of security,” he said.
The president explained that delivery will depend on production capacity and existing contracts with other countries. “The difficulty in the queue to receive these systems is the queue from countries that have concluded the corresponding contracts. We will receive these 25 systems every year, a different number in different years,” Zelenskyy stated.
He emphasised that political will from the US and key NATO members could help Ukraine move up the queue. “Each of the European countries that are key in NATO has its own systems, and there are also systems that belong to the United States. This means that if everyone works hard and if there is goodwill, then with these American systems that are in these European countries, the White House could help us get them,” he said.
Zelenskyy also pointed out that securing funding is essential, identifying frozen Russian assets as a key financial source. He added, however, that “it is also necessary to work on other financial sources.”
Source: Interfax-Ukraine.
