Borrell calls on EU states to send anti-missile systems to Ukraine
European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, on April 18, urged member states to supply Ukraine with their anti-missile systems to strengthen its air defense, Reuters reported.
"We have Patriots, we have anti-missile systems. We have to take them (out) from our barracks where they are just in case and send them to Ukraine where the war is raging," Borrell told reporters after a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meeting on the island of Capri.
As Moscow intensifies its attacks on Ukraine this spring, the shortage of air defense systems in Ukrainian cities and villages is being felt more acutely.
Russia's recent strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure destroyed several thermal power plants across the country, including the Trypillia plant, the main electricity supplier to Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy oblasts.
Borrell stressed that the shortage of air defense systems could destroy Ukraine's entire electricity system.
EU's top diplomat also said that Europe must stop relying only on the U.S. for aid provision to Ukraine, reminding that a $95 billion foreign aid bill, including around $61 billion in assistance for Kyiv, remains stalled in Congress.
Borrell expressed confidence that the EU members will provide Ukraine with additional air defense systems, but he said it must happen "quickly."
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in early April that Ukraine needed 25 Patriot air defense systems to cover the country's skies from Russian attacks and intercept ballistic missiles.
After Kyiv ramped up the calls on allies to receive more air defense systems, Germany launched a new initiative to secure more critically needed air defenses for Ukraine, the Tagesschau outlet reported, citing spokespeople of Germany's defense and foreign ministries.
Martin Fornusek
