Kyiv is asking the US to supply new types of weapons, including Atacms tactical ballistic missiles and fourth-generation F-15 and F-16 combat fighters, Report informs referring to the Foreign Policy.
On October 10, Ukraine’s top parliamentarian, Ruslan Stefanchuk, sent letters to congressional leadership calling on the United States to prioritize the delivery of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), which are jointly produced with Norway, as well as counter-rocket, mortar, and artillery systems - a clear sign that those defensive weapons had moved up the Ukrainian military priority list ahead of multiple rocket launchers, fighter jets, and long-range rocket systems that Kyiv has been demanding for months.
Zelenskyy, after a phone call with US President Joe Biden, stated that obtaining air defenses was his No. 1 priority.
“Ukrainian Armed Forces had successfully [shot] down almost half of the missiles and Iranian drones, but unfortunately our air defense resources are limited,” Stefanchuk wrote in the letter seen by Foreign Policy. “By this attack, Russia received no military advance; it was an act of terror, targeted exclusively against the civilian population. NASAMS Ground Air Defense Systems are crucial to secure critical civil and military infrastructure from Russian cruise missiles and bombings, while Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System (C-RAM) would allow for the closest point protection of the most important objects, especially crucial power plants.”
Stefanchuk said Ukraine was also seeking American F-15 and F-16 fighter jets to enforce a no-fly zone against Russian cruise missiles and bombers, possibly with air-to-air missiles.
Ukraine also wants the Biden administration to shake off its reticence and provide longer-range US Army Tactical Missile Systems - known as ATACMs - which could hit Russian targets 200 miles away, and Gray Eagle strike drones to counteract the off-the-shelf Iranian drones that have wreaked havoc on Ukrainian lines. Politico reported this month that Ukrainian officials were putting greater emphasis on requesting air defenses from the West.
Although Western air defenses could provide a patchwork shield against Russian missile strikes, the arrival of new batteries would not make Ukrainian airspace a no-go zone, even as the country’s native air defenses have held up for more than 200 days - far longer than Western intelligence agencies initially anticipated. Russian Kalibr cruise missiles, the Kremlin’s weapon of choice in October 10 strikes, fly at lower altitudes that allow them to more readily evade air defenses.
Western officials believe that the Kremlin’s stocks of precision-guided missiles have dwindled significantly since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion in February.