On Tuesday 3 February, during a visit to Kyiv, NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, condemned the major Russian strikes carried out the previous night on Ukraine, despite the US proposal for a week-long truce, which lasted four days. This attack comes as the Russians and Ukrainians are due to meet again on Wednesday and Thursday for a second round of talks in the United Arab Emirates.
“Direct talks are now underway and this is important progress. But Russian attacks like those last night, do not signal seriousness about peace”, he deplored before the Ukrainian Parliament, but also alongside the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky.
He described the previous night’s strikes as a record. This is “a major blow, certainly - in terms of ballistic weapons. An all-time record. Twenty-eight cruise missiles and 43 other missiles of various types with ballistic trajectories were fired. Only the Patriot systems can intercept them”, explained Mr Zelensky, calling for additional support from his partners, notably via the PURL initiative. According to Mr Zelensky, Ukraine was attacked on Tuesday by a total of 71 missiles and 450 drones. “More missiles are needed and they must be delivered as quickly as possible”, he added.
“Since we started PURL last summer, it has supplied around 75% of all missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot batteries and 90% of the missiles used in other air defence systems”, announced Mr Rutte, who acknowledged that Ukraine needed more.
“We are urgently working to ensure that more is delivered as quickly as possible. Not only through PURL, but sourced from wherever supplies can be found”, he promised. NATO’s Secretary General urged the Allies to “dig deep” in their stockpiles and to offer everything they could “to meet Ukraine’s needs, particularly in terms of air defence”.
A further meeting in the Ramstein format will be held in Brussels on 12 February, on the fringes of the Allies’ ministerial meeting, to discuss military support for Ukraine.
As a response to these recurring requests for anti-aircraft defence, Sweden and Denmark announced, on Tuesday, the supply of TRIDON Mk2 mobile anti-aircraft artillery systems, capable in particular of “shooting down cruise missiles and long-range strike drones”, worth €250 million, financed mainly by Sweden (nearly €200 million).
Support for Ukraine on the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will be visiting Ukraine to mark the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as a “renewed sign of the EU’s solidarity with Ukraine”, stressed Commission spokesperson, Paula Pinho, on 3 February. The President of the European Council, António Costa, is also due to visit Ukraine on 24 February. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)