![Ukraine: Washington and Berlin reiterate their support for kyiv Ukraine: Washington and Berlin reiterate their support for kyiv](https://media.lesechos.com/api/v1/images/view/66439c46daf0ea581840e49e/1280x720/01101063403834-web-tete.jpg)
Could the recent Russian offensive in Kharkiv have served as a warning shot for Ukraine’s partners? While the Ukrainian army, faced with a shortage of men and ammunition, has been in difficulty since last Friday by a Russian incursion in the northeast of the country, several representatives of allied countries have signaled in recent hours their desire to increase their support for kyiv.
“We are united in our support for Ukraine in its defensive fight against the Russian attack,” declared German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this Monday during a meeting in Stockholm with the heads of governments of the Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.
“You are not alone”
Often criticized for Germany’s supposed complacency with Russia and for the limited aid initially provided to kyiv, Olaf Scholz also declared that it was Berlin which “delivered the most” weapons. He urged the rest of Europe to increase military aid to Ukraine. The chancellor thus estimated that the Europeans were not doing “enough” in terms of military aid to kyiv: “Some countries have now made announcements, so our call was useful,” he declared. But unfortunately there are not enough countries following this example. »
Visiting the Ukrainian capital, the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, promised this Tuesday during a speech to students that the United States would support Ukraine until its security against Russia is ” guarantee “. “I came to Ukraine with a message: you are not alone,” Antony Blinken said, adding that Washington would stand with the Ukrainians “until Ukraine’s security, sovereignty and ability to choosing your own path are guaranteed.”
Lack of anti-aircraft defense
The Ukrainian army faces a growing lack of air defense systems and munitions, allowing Russia to intensify its strikes against Kharkiv, the country’s second city. On the occasion of Antony Blinken’s visit to kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recalled that air defense constituted Ukraine’s “biggest problem”, and its “biggest deficit”.
According to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine would need two additional Patriot systems to defend Kharkiv: “Because people are under attack. Civilians, everyone is worried about Russian attacks,” he declared. For its part, France announced this Tuesday the upcoming delivery of a new batch of Aster surface-to-air missiles to kyiv: “I have just signed a second batch of Aster missiles to enable the SAMP-T (surface-to-air system medium range-terrestrial), which we have given with our Italian partners, to continue to operate,” declared the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, on Tuesday.