In an interview with Politico, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba emphasized the need for Ukraine to obtain additional Patriot air defense systems, as Russia has increased its ballistic missile attacks.
“Give us damn Patriots. If we had enough air defense systems, namely the Patriot, we would be able to protect not only the lives of our people, but also our economy from destruction,” he noted.
Dmytro Kuleba thanked for Ukraineʼs support, but he is worried that the war is dragging on, and the allies are "returning to the usual way of conducting politics." Alliesʼ actions do not always match their rhetoric: weapons are given late or in insufficient quantities, or they are not given at all.
At the same time, allies say that Ukraine is retreating, that Ukraine cannot win, and then ask themselves why they should provide Ukraine with weapons that will "change the rules of the game."
"All this picture of reality that you draw for yourself is a consequence of one simple fact — that Ukrainian soldiers do not have enough weapons because you did not provide them," Kuleba added.
As an example, he gave Germany, from which Ukraine always receives "annoyed comments" when asked about Taurus long-range missiles. Ukraine has been asking Germany for Taurus since the end of May 2023. Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposes it. He says that the transfer of these missiles could involve Germany in a direct conflict with Russia. He also fears that Ukraine will be able to hit Russian territories with Taurus missiles.
"I fully understand that Europeans are not used to the idea of war, but this is negligence that Europeans simply cannot afford — neither for themselves nor for their children. Ukraine can win. But if Ukraine loses, Putin will not stop," Kuleba emphasized.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine did not confirm the mediaʼs information about calls from the US to stop strikes on oil refineries in Russia. The media reported that the United States allegedly feared that strikes by Ukrainian drones would raise global energy prices.