Two members of the US Congress put pressure on Trump and demand the sending of vital missiles to Ukraine
The US government should respond positively to President Volodymyr Zelensky's request to provide more air defense missiles to protect Ukraine's capital from a possible escalation in Russian bombing, two members of the US Congress said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
Zelenskiy wrote to US President Donald Trump and members of the US Congress this week to request additional Patriot systems and interceptors – the only effective shield against Russian ballistic missiles in Ukraine's arsenal.
On Monday, Russia warned foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Kiev and said it would launch “systematic strikes” on targets in the Ukrainian capital.
In its latest massive attack on Sunday, Russia used 30 ballistic missiles against Ukraine, of which only 11 were shot down, according to the Ukrainian air force.
After meeting with Zelenskiy in Kiev, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the United States had met Kiev's requests for additional weapons several times in the past.
“My hope and expectation is that America will respond positively to this request,” Blumenthal said, speaking alongside fellow House Democrat Jim Himes.
Both congressmen, Blumenthal said, will lobby when they return to Washington for additional interceptor missiles for Ukraine's air defenses and for tougher sanctions against Russia.
“Our mission, once we return, will be to make sure that Ukraine has the means to carry out its task,” the US senator added.
Since Trump assumed his second term as president, Ukraine has purchased Patriot missiles through NATO's Priority Ukraine Requirement List (PURL) initiative, funded by European allies.
In his letter, Zelenskiy thanked the United States for its support, but said the pace of deliveries of interceptor missiles under the PURL no longer kept pace with the scale of the threat from Ukraine.
Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said talks in Washington on military support for Ukraine have been complicated by the US war on Iran, which is consuming valuable resources.
“This conflict must be ended yesterday for many reasons, including the fact that the material that is currently being used in the Persian Gulf must be used for our defense and must be provided to Ukraine,” Himes said.
