KYIV. UkraineGate . 30 . November .2022 | Political News .
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday asked Germany to provide Ukraine with patriot air defense systems as soon as possible, reports CNN .
Citation
“The message is simple: give the Patriot as soon as possible,” Kuleba said, speaking at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Bucharest, “because it is a system that Ukraine needs to protect civilians and critical infrastructure.”
Details
“It’s not an offensive weapon… If Germany is ready to provide Poland with a Patriot, and Poland has nothing against the transfer of these systems to Ukraine, then I think that the decision for the German government is obvious,” the Foreign Minister said.
“We are ready to accept them; We are ready to operate them in the safest and most efficient way. And once again I want to repeat that this is a purely defensive weapon. We will work with the German government on this specific issue,” Kuleba said.
Supplement
Kuleba’s statement came after Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said last week that Berlin should send the Patriot air defense system directly to Ukraine, not Poland. In response, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht stressed that the use of NATO defence systems outside its territory should be agreed upon by all member states.
Initially, Germany offered Poland assistance in the form of supplying anti-missile systems, including the Patriot system, to help Warsaw strengthen its air defense capabilities after a deadly missile strike on Polish territory near the border with Ukraine on November 15.
Source: Ukrgate
