Patriot system to 'significantly' improve Ukraine's air defense: Zelenskyy
'This is a very important step to create secure airspace for Ukraine,' says Ukrainian president
By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - The just-announced delivery of a US-made Patriot air defense system to Ukraine will "significantly" bolster Kyiv's ability to defend its skies amid relentless Russian attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.
Speaking at the White House alongside President Joe Biden, Zelenskyy said the system is the "strongest element" of a $1.85 billion military aid package announced by Washington to mark the Ukrainian leader's visit.
It is "something that will strengthen our air defense significantly," Zelenskyy said during a joint press conference. "This is a very important step to create secure airspace for Ukraine, and that's the only way we would be able to deprive the terrorist country and their terror attacks to strike our energy sector, our people and our infrastructure."
He was referring to Russia, which has for months been targeting Ukraine's critical infrastructure with missile and drone attacks, crippling badly-needed services as the country enters its bitterly-frigid winter season.
"We should be clear about what Russia is doing. It is purposely attacking Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, destroying the system to provide heat and light to the Ukrainian people during the coldest, darkest part of the year," said Biden. "Russia is using winter as a weapon, freezing people, starving people, cutting them off from one another."
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