NATO continues to step up its support to Ukraine, with a particular focus on protecting the country’s critical infrastructure. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said that Kiev’s request for additional air defense systems has received a positive response from all Alliance partners.
During Tuesday night’s Ukraine-NATO Council meeting, the central topic was the protection of facilities vital to the country’s functioning, including nuclear infrastructure.
“We discussed how to provide Ukraine with the necessary air defense assets to protect its critical infrastructure,” Rutte emphasized.
He also recalled that the availability of air defense systems in the world is limited:
“There is no surplus of such systems. However, NATO countries have agreed to make every effort to transfer all possible air defense systems to Ukraine”.
Mark Rutte refrained from specifying the number and types of systems that could be transferred. However, he confirmed that NATO member states are determined to transfer the available weapons as quickly as possible.
“We are doing everything possible to ensure that those air defense systems that we can provide are transferred to Ukraine,” the secretary general assured.
Such measures could significantly strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities in the face of ongoing attacks on its infrastructure. Against the backdrop of a growing global shortage of air defense assets, the willingness of NATO countries to work together to support Ukraine demonstrates a high level of solidarity within the Alliance.
Whether the goal of strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses will be achieved will become clear in the coming weeks as agreements are implemented.