KYIV, Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country needed more than a hundred planes to counter the Russian air force, saying Ukraine only had a quarter of the air defences it needed.
His country has faced a wave of devastating attacks as the war drags into its third year, prompting Kiev to redouble pleas to bolster its depleted air defences.
“Today we have about 25 percent of what we need to defend Ukraine. I’m talking about air defense,” Zelensky said in an interview.
Russia currently has air superiority, which limits Ukraine’s ability to protect cities and hold the front line.
In the fight against sustained air and ground attacks, Ukrainian officials have called for more support.
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“In order for Russia not to have air superiority, our fleet should have 120 to 130 modern aircraft… to defend the sky against three hundred (Russian) aircraft,” Zelensky said.
He also said the fighter jets were needed “to have parity” with Russia.
His comments came just weeks after the US Congress finally approved a $61 billion financial aid package for Ukraine after months of political wrangling.
Zelensky requested the delivery of part of the aid.
We can have three billion to get two Patriot systems in the Kharkiv region and no bombs fall on the heads of the army, he said.
