Air Defence Vital for Ukraine

On 17 September, the Russian army carried out another attack using drones and cruise missiles on Ukrainian cities. The attack hit the south of the Odesa region, where an agricultural enterprise was hit. Ukraine's air defence destroyed all 6 UAVs as well as 6 out of 10 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles. The missiles manoeuvred over Ukrainian territory for a long time: the Russians are trying to locate air defence systems on the eve of attacks on energy infrastructure. In this respect, the supply of modern air defence systems to the Ukrainian Armed Forces is critical to saving people this coming winter.

A former adviser to the US Secretary of State, Matthew Bryza, has said that Washington believes that the time to provide Ukraine with F-16s is long overdue. This type of fighter is capable of fundamentally changing the course of military operations: The F-16 surpasses any Russian aircraft in detection, targeting range and enemy recognition. This is especially true as Russia adapts its tactics and plans to launch bombs equipped with wings and JPS. Contrary to the fact that the Russian Air Force is massing fighter jets and attack helicopters on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions, Ukraine's defenders are steadily advancing, liberating Russian-occupied territory. In particular, a bridgehead has been created for an offensive on Tokmak and on Bakhmut. The Russians are forced to transfer additional reserves to the Zaporizhzhya direction in order to contain the Ukrainian Armed Forces' onslaught. If the Ukrainian defenders could have had F-16 fighters at the very beginning of the counter-offensive, there would have been far fewer losses and more Ukrainian territory recaptured. In addition, F-16 fighters can effectively destroy missiles, which increases their value to Ukraine in the face of Russia's continued missile terror.

Russia is closer than ever to a strategic defeat. Its bias toward North Korea confirms the Kremlin's reinforcement of totalitarianism and repression. Dialogue with Russia makes no sense: Putin has no idea what "democracy," "respect for human rights," and "respect for territorial integrity" mean. It is possible to stop Russia and its further crimes in Ukraine only with the help of modern Western weapons. Fighter jets, air defence systems, tanks and armoured vehicles will help the Ukrainian Armed Forces to liberate the entire territory of Ukraine from occupation and reduce the threat of further Russian territorial expansion to EU Member States.