The letter coincided with Russia's intensification of mass air attacks on Ukraine and a public threat of a new wave of long-range attacks on Kiev, including attacks on places that Moscow has described as Ukraine's “decision-making centers,” the website indicates.
“When it comes to air defense against missiles, we rely on our friends. When it comes to defense against ballistic missiles, we rely almost exclusively on the United States,” reads the letter, obtained by the Kyiv Independent.
The Ukrainian authorities are concerned that the limited resources of Patriot missiles and other systems provided by the West may not withstand the scale of Russian bombing. The portal's journalists reported that the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanishyna, delivered the letter to the White House, as well as to the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson and other members of Congress.
The message also reflects growing concern in Kiev about difficulties in securing weapons under the Priority Requirements List for Ukraine (PURL) program, which allows NATO allies to finance the purchase of U.S. weapons for Ukraine.
“The current delivery rate under the PURL program [Priorytetowej Listy Wymagań dla Ukrainy, czyli programu, który pozwala sojusznikom NATO finansować zakup amerykańskiej broni dla Kijowa] can no longer keep up with the realities of the threat we face,” Zelensky writes in the letter. “I am asking for help in protecting the Ukrainian sky from Russian missiles,” he adds.
“On behalf of the Ukrainian people, I respectfully ask the President and the U.S. Congress to continue to engage and help secure this key defense against Russian terrorism – Patriot PAC-3 missiles and additional systems – to deter Russian ballistic missiles and other Russian missile attacks,” the appeal reads.
Russia intensifies airstrikes on Kyiv
