The needs of the army and air defence: Umerov talks about meeting with Austin
31 August 2024 07:20
Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov met with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin and discussed the supply of weapons to Kyiv. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing the Ukrainian Defence Minister’s Telegram.
The meeting was attendedby the head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, Deputy Minister of Defence for European Integration Oleksandr Balanutsa, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces ofUkraine Major General Volodymyr Horbatiuk and Head of the Main Logistics Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Lieutenant General Mykola Shevtsov.
During the talks, the parties discussed the situation on the battlefield and the priority needs of the Ukrainian army. Rustem Umerov briefed Lloyd Austin on the current operational situation and further goals of Ukraine in the context of the war with Russia. Particular attention was paid to the needs of the Ukrainian army in terms of weapons, equipment and training. The generals spoke in detail about the resources needed to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities.
“We discussed in detail the situation with the ongoing Russian shelling of civilian objects and critical infrastructure. Over the past four days alone, Russian invaders have attacked Ukraine with more than 400 different missiles and drones,” Umerov said.
The minister stressed that air defence remains one of the top priorities of the Ukrainian side, emphasising the need to supply air defence systems and missiles to protect critical infrastructure, cities and civilians.
Another important aspect of the talks was the development of the Ukrainian defence industry.
“Another focus of the meeting was the development of the Ukrainian defence industry. Over the past two years, we have launched hundreds of new enterprises that are able to quickly produce high-quality weapons. Cooperation with our partners is critical to expanding this production and ensuring even more effective defence of Ukraine,” Umerov concluded.
The visit of Umerov and Yermak comes amid the ongoing Ukrainian invasion of Russia’s Kursk region and Moscow’s massive missile attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and Ukrainian cities.
Follow us on Telegram: the main news in a nutshell
Ukrainian officials have long asked the Biden administration to lift restrictions on American weapons to make it easier to launch offensives inside Russia and push Russian forces back from the border. The US has said since the war began that it fears that lifting the restrictions could provoke Russia to launch even more aggressive attacks on Ukraine.
While escalation is still a concern, the Biden administration has recently emphasised its belief that there would be little tactical advantage given Russia’s movement of military equipment out of range. The administration also assesses that Ukraine does not have enough Army Tactical Air-to-Air Missile Systems (ATACMS) – the long-range missiles it wants to use – to hit high-value targets in Russia. Kyiv uses many of these missiles to strike Crimea. And the US allegedly has a limited supply of ATACMS that it can send to Ukraine.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said during a briefing with reporters on Monday that there was “no change” in US policy on the restrictions. However, some Ukrainian officials say they see signs that some in the Biden administration are considering lifting the restrictions in the coming days.
Zelenskyy and Biden spoke by phone on Friday, but did not specifically discuss a request to lift the restrictions, according to a U.S. official briefed on the call. However, the two leaders did discuss more broadly Kyiv’s request for the US to send additional long-range weapons. They also talked about Russia’s advance in Pokrovsk and Ukraine’s strategy to counter Moscow there while trying to make headway in Kursk.
After the call, Biden announced a new $125 million military aid package for Kyiv. On the same day, the US also announced a series of additional sanctions against Russia.
It is not yet known when Umerov and Yermak will arrive in Washington and what other meetings they plan to hold during their stay in the United States.
Kyiv and Washington are negotiating a face-to-face meeting between Biden and Zelenskyy at the UN General Assembly in New York next month, a US official said.
Follow us on Telegram: the main news in a nutshell
