Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with retired US Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg in Kyiv to discuss the intensification of Russian strikes against infrastructure and civilians, stressing an urgent need for Patriot missile interceptors.
Kellogg, the former US special presidential envoy to Ukraine, traveled from Odesa to the capital to attend the Veterans Forum.
Zelenskyy thanked Kellogg for his respect for Ukrainian soldiers, who he said were defending Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic area in extremely difficult conditions every day.
In a Telegram post, Zelenskyy said he and Kellogg had discussed the intensification of Russian strikes, and that the main priority for defense was countering ballistic missiles.
He said he had informed Kellogg about work with European allies to create an anti-ballistic system, but that the supply of Patriot interceptors was indispensable to get through the coming winter.
Ukraine was ready to buy the interceptors, Zelenskyy said, adding that any efforts in this direction were important.
Shortage of interceptors
Ukraine lacks interceptor missiles for its MIM-104 Patriot systems, which are the only air defense installations in the country capable of effectively shooting down Russian Iskander-M, Kinzhal and Zircon missiles.
These missiles fly on ballistic and quasi-ballistic trajectories. Due to the shortage of Patriot munitions, Ukraine has seen a downward trend in its effectiveness in countering them.
Russian forces have intensified their missile strikes against Ukraine against the backdrop of this deficit, while Ukrainian authorities have urged international partners to expand the production of interceptors.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said that in July, Russia had increasingly used Zircon and S-400 missiles for attacks, both of which move on ballistic trajectories.
Restricting information
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported that Russia attacked the country with 195 missiles in July. Of those, 29 were intercepted and another 40 failed to reach their targets.
The Ukrainian Air Force recently announced it would limit information regarding the number of launched and destroyed Russian ballistic missiles in its daily morning reports on strikes.
