NATO secretary general says Ukraine will receive all air defence systems that can be provided

NATO partners have positively received Kyiv's request for a substantial number of air defence systems to safeguard nuclear and other critical infrastructure.

As reported by a European Pravda correspondent from Brussels, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that this issue was central to the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on the evening of Tuesday, 3 December.

"We discussed what we can do collectively to make sure that Ukraine has the air defence it needs to protect its critical infrastructure," he said.

Rutte noted that this is a challenging task, as the air defence systems in NATO countries are distributed and assigned to specific duties.

He added that there is no surplus supply of air defence systems globally but emphasised that a clear agreement had been reached the previous night for partners to support Ukraine.

The secretary general did not specify the number or types of new systems that could be provided but reaffirmed that an agreement had been reached to maximise joint efforts to strengthen Ukraine's air defence. "We have to make sure that whatever air defence we can give them [Ukraine] is being supplied to Ukraine."

On Tuesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha revealed the details of Ukraine's new request for air defence systems: they will be deployed at 19 facilities to protect nuclear and other energy facilities.

Earlier, President Zelenskyy discussed strengthening Ukraine’s air defence with the Norwegian prime minister.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz outlined the new systems that Ukraine would receive by the end of the year.