NATO countries to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense

NATO allies have announced plans to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense, according to a statement from the North Atlantic Alliance following a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.

“Through NATO, Allies are buying up to 1,000 Patriot air defence missiles to replenish their stockpiles as they continue to bolster Ukraine’s air defences. Germany recently delivered Patriot and Skynex air defence systems and additional missiles for IRIS-T air defences to Ukraine, and the United Kingdom is sending around 200 air defence missiles to Ukraine,” NATO said.

NATO countries have pledged to continue providing significant military, economic, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. “And many Allies outlined plans to provide billions of euros of further capabilities in 2024,” the statement reads. 

The meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, which took place at the level of ambassadors, took place on January 10 in response to the increase in Russian missile attacks on Ukraine. The meeting was attended, in particular, by Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Air Force of Ukraine, and Oleksii Serhieiev, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs.

The alliance strongly condemned the escalation by Russia. “NATO strongly condemns Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians, including with weapons from North Korea and Iran. For a second year in a row, Putin is trying to wear down Ukraine with mass strikes, but he will not succeed. Russia’s campaign of cruelty only strengthens Ukraine’s resolve. As Moscow intensifies its strikes on Ukrainian cities and civilians, NATO Allies are boosting Ukraine’s air defences,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The meeting format of the NATO-Ukraine Council was established at the NATO summit in July. Kyiv received the right to convene meetings with NATO partners independently if necessary. This platform is for joint consultations, decisions, and interaction between NATO and Ukraine.