We hope to reach agreement with US on further supply of ammunition to Patriot - Shmyhal
Ukraine expects to reach an agreement with the United States on obtaining components and ammunition for the American Patriot system, which will help our soldiers shoot down Russian ballistic missiles.
This was stated by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a press conference, answering a question about the further possibility of air defense to shoot down Russian missiles, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrinform.
"Air defense systems. All partners are currently supplying Ukraine with the systems themselves, as well as missiles and ammunition. We have deliveries and stocks from various partners. Of course, the U.S. contribution is significant, primarily in terms of Patriot systems. This is the only system so far that is able to combat Russian ballistic missiles," Shmyhal said.
According to him, the risk is in providing Patriot with both maintenance and ammunition to protect Ukraine from ballistic missiles, "all other means by which Russia attacks Ukraine, we can destroy by other means."
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that this risk would be overcome.
"I am confident that we will find options with the United States and our partners to ensure that this risk is not realized," he said.
Speaking about the ability of the Defense Forces to shoot down Russian drones, Shmyhal noted that Ukraine has created a unique tool such as mobile fire groups, which are equipped with everything necessary for this: thermal imagers, radars and special equipment. This makes it relatively inexpensive to shoot down Russian drones.
"This is also a war of economies. It is impossible to shoot down a drone worth 30 to 40 thousand dollars with a missile that costs one to several million dollars. It does not work economically. So we are looking for an economic balance in this war. It is inexpensive to destroy a terrorist country as a cheap product. Accordingly, mobile fire groups are one of the elements, and electronic warfare is the second element," the Prime Minister summarized.
Suspension of US aid
On the morning of March 4, it became known that US President Donald Trump had ordered the suspension of all US military aid to Ukraine in order to force Kyiv to demonstrate a "good faith commitment" to peace.
One U.S. official told CNN that the consequences of the suspension of U.S. military aid will be felt in some time. Perhaps a few days or weeks. However, as soon as the stockpiles of weapons and armaments begin to run out, the country will face serious consequences.
According to journalist Ostap Yarysh, the US decision to suspend aid to Ukraine will primarily affect the supply of missiles to air defense and ammunition for HIMARS and artillery.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tahkna emphasized that the US decision to temporarily suspend military aid to Ukraine means that Europe must help Ukraine more and faster than before to fill this gap.
The Economist article says that the US decision to suspend aid to Ukraine will lead to more casualties and destruction. The critical elements, the newspaper writes, are weapons, their repair, air defense missiles, the Starlink system, and, perhaps most importantly, intelligence sharing.
Chief National Security Advisor to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, Marius Česnulevičius, said that Washington's decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine was not a surprise. However, Europe is preparing a response.
Later, The Economist wrote that there is currently no official order from Donald Trump to suspend military aid to Ukraine.
