President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the air defense systems promised during the NATO summit have not yet been delivered to Ukraine in full.
The Head of State said this during an interview with representatives of the leading media of the Nordic countries, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
Zelensky explained that when NATO countries indicated they were not ready to see Ukraine join NATO due to the ongoing war and were not prepared to take more decisive steps in this direction, but instead offered to provide six or seven specific systems to protect Ukraine’s skies, Ukraine accepted. He acknowledged that while these two things are not comparable, during wartime, the priority was to accept what was offered. Zelensky emphasized the importance of maintaining unity and expressed gratitude for the help, noting the value of the systems being provided. However, he added that Ukraine had initially expected to receive these systems by the start of the school year on September 2, but as of now, that amount had not been delivered.
He also noted that the heating season in Ukraine has already begun and cold days are approaching.
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“This will be the third winter with blackouts, with all these difficulties,” the President said.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky said following the NATO summit held on July 11-12 in Washington, D.C., that Ukraine’s successes during the Alliance summit included the decision to strengthen air defense with five Patriot systems, as well as annual financial commitments under security agreements that reach USD 40 billion.
Photo: OP