Stoltenberg: Ukraine's Air Defense, Top Priority

For two days, Russia carried out a wave of air strikes on Ukraine's regions, shelling several cities, including Kiev. Moscow said the attacks were revenge for last weekend's explosion on the bridge connecting annexed Crime and Russia.

“We will address the issue of how to increase support for Ukraine, and the top priority will be more air protection for Ukraine”, Stoltenberg said on October 12th, at the start of the two-day meeting of NATO defence ministers held in Brussels.

Representatives of more than 50 states have also gathered at the Magnaries of the NATO summit in Brussels to discuss boosting air defence aid to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky has urged leaders of the group of seven most industrialized states (G7) to offer more air defence assistance so that his state can neutralise Russian air strikes. He said air defence systems “are the key element to halt Russia's terror and missile attacks”.

Russia has begun its invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, but since the start of a Ukrainian counteroffensive in late September, Moscow has lost some territories that it occupied at the beginning of the unprovocational war.