Reuters. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday (May 27) that a letter he sent to U.S. President Donald Trump and members of Congress appealed for stepped-up support for Ukraine’s air defences, stressing that stronger protection against Russian missile strikes was essential to advancing diplomacy and ending the war.
Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said global attention had shifted to other conflicts, including the war in Iran, but warned that the war in Europe remained “very bloody” and must also be brought to an end.
His comments follow the letter to Trump and U.S. lawmakers, in which he warned of a critical shortage of air defence capabilities, particularly U.S.-made Patriot systems used to intercept Russian ballistic missiles.
According to the letter, Ukraine relies “almost exclusively” on Patriot systems as “the most effective defense” against such attacks, but said existing supply mechanisms were no longer sufficient to match the scale of the threat.
Russia used 30 ballistic missiles against Ukraine in its latest massive strike on Sunday, and only 11 of them were shot down, according to Ukraine's air force.
