Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the US for support in Washington on Wednesday and received promises of more aid, including new missile defense systems, on his first trip abroad since the Russian invasion in February.
(Also: Volodymyr Zelenskiy asks US for more help to hasten Ukraine’s victory)
Shortly before Zelensky’s arrival in Washington, the Biden administration announced a new military aid package for Ukraine of 1.850 million dollars which, for the first time, includes the Patriot system that the Ukrainians had been asking for months. Does this mark a new course in the war with Russia?
(We recommend: This is the sophisticated Patriot anti-missile system that the US will give to Zelensky)
Biden claimed that the shipment of the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine it should not be interpreted as an escalation with Russia. “It is a defense system, it does not imply an escalation, it is defensive,” he said when asked at a press conference, after the meeting at the White House, about the way in which Moscow can perceive the new arms shipment from Washington to Ukraine.
It is a defense system, it is not an escalation, it is defensive.
Next to him was Zelensky, who considered that Patriot missiles will “significantly strengthen” Ukrainian airspace. “It is a very important step to create a safe airspace for Ukraine,” the president said.
(See also: Putin cancels major public events scheduled for the end of the year)
In addition, joking in response to another journalist’s question, the Ukrainian leader said that once they receive the Patriot missiles, they will ask the United States for more such missile systems.
This Wednesday, Biden also reaffirmed that the United States, NATO and the European Union (EU) are united in their support for Ukraine against Russia because what is at stake is the very “idea of sovereignty”.
On the other hand, for Russia, US support for Ukraine is indeed a sign of escalation against it. The Kremlin commented on Thursday the meeting of the two presidents and considered that The United States will continue to fight “indirectly” against Russia “to the last Ukrainian”.
(Also: What does it mean for the US to deliver Patriot anti-missile systems to Ukraine?)
“(The meeting between Biden and Zelensky) shows that the United States will continue its policy to fight de facto and indirectly with Russia to the last Ukrainian,” Russian Presidency spokesman Dmitri Peskov said at his daily press conference.
Peskov pointed out that in the Kremlin they closely followed the information related to Zelensky’s visit to Washington. “For now, we can regret that neither President Biden nor President Zelensky have said a word that could be perceived as a willingness to listen to Russia’s concerns,” he said.
We can regret that neither President Biden nor President Zelensky have said a word that could be perceived as a willingness to listen to Russia’s concerns.
He added that “there was not a word to prevent Zelensky from continuing the barbaric attacks against houses in towns in Donbas.” Neither “There were real calls for peace, not in front of the gallery, but real”, Peskov assured.
For his part, the Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoli Antonov, affirmed this Thursday that the actions of the Biden administration lead to a
escalation of “difficult to imagine consequences”referring to the support offered to Ukraine.
(Furthermore: US announces shipment of Patriot missiles to Ukraine for the first time)
“Despite our warnings, Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems will be sent to kyiv,” the diplomat said in a statement collected by the official Russian news agency. TASS.
But why is the Patriot air defense system generating so much interest?
The United States reported that it will only send one Patriot anti-aircraft battery to Ukraine. One of these batteries usually includes a radar that detects and tracks the target, computers, generators and a control station, as well as eight mini-launchers with four missiles ready to fire.
And while it remains to be seen what impact a single Patriot battery can have, the truth is that Ukraine fears a growing onslaught of Russian missiles and has faced a series of drone strikes., many of them bought by Moscow from Iran. Russian forces have also shelled power plants and other civilian infrastructure just as the country is experiencing winter.
(We recommend: ‘You come with us or we kill you’: Russian soldiers say they are forced to fight)
The ‘Patriot missile system’ is an air defense system and weapon, the most advanced available in the US arsenal, and Ukrainian army officials say it is the most significant support the United States has given to that country in recent months.
The weapon is expected to arrive in Ukraine and be ready for use by spring. Members of the US military explain that it is a complex system to use and that training “will take time”.
For now, the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, affirmed this Thursday that his country will find “an antidote” against these anti-aircraft defense systems. “We will take it into account and we will find an antidote,” the Kremlin chief said during a press appearance in Moscow after participating in a State Council meeting on youth policies.
(See also: The events that made news in the world during this 2022)
According to Putin, the Patriots are “quite old” systems and don’t work “as well” as the Russian S-300s. “We will crunch them” like nuts, he said of the US systems.
For the Russian president, the new US shipments to Ukraine only “prolong the conflict.” “Those who do, do it in vain. They just prolong the conflict. That’s all.”he asserted.
When asked about peace negotiations with Ukraine, Putin said that “all armed conflicts end in one way or another in negotiations” and that Moscow does not give up on it either. “But the Ukrainian authorities have prohibited opening negotiations with Russia,” he noted.
(We recommend: Ukraine: police rescued a woman and her dog after falling into a frozen lake)
The outlook regarding this air defense system is not entirely clear. However, Moscow previously said that the Patriots, like other weapons delivered to Ukraine by Western countries, will be a legitimate target for the Russian air force.
With this new package, the military aid delivered by the United States to Ukraine amounts to 21.3 billion dollars since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.
WILLIAM MORENO HERNANDEZ
International Writing
*With information from EFE and AFP
#Ukraine #aid #Patriot #missiles #turn #tide #war