:format(jpg):watermark(cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ipmgroup/5IDEBLR7ERC5TMAPLOHS63MVNM.png,0,30,0)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ipmgroup/2AR6FF2NPJEWFA4FR52WR53XIU.jpg "Ukrainian Foreign Minister asks for planes from Blinken: “If we lose the sky, there will be a lot of blood on the ground”")
“I hope the people of Ukraine can see this as a clear manifestation that we have friends who literally stand by our side,” Kouleba said after they met at the tightly-secured Korczowa-Krakovets border crossing. .
The two men spoke for 45 minutes one-on-one at the border, discussing the delivery of additional weapons to Ukrainian forces and ways to exert pressure on Moscow.
The Ukrainian minister told his American counterpart that his country needed fighter jets and air defense systems, calling NATO’s refusal to set up a no-fly zone a “sign of weakness”. over Ukraine.
“We are satisfied with the supplies of anti-tank weapons and ammunition already organised,” Kouleba told a small group of reporters at the border. “It’s no secret that our strongest demand is for fighter jets, assault jets and air defense systems.”
“We need major air defense systems to keep our skies safe. If we lose the skies, there will be a lot of blood on the ground,” he explained.
He also criticized NATO’s refusal to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine. “It’s a sign of weakness,” he said. “It is the Ukrainian people who will pay the price for NATO’s reluctance to act,” he added, standing at the border alongside Mr. Blinken.
The Ukrainian minister expressed his gratitude for the coordination shown by Western countries to impose massive sanctions on Russia.
But he expressed his fear that countries could get tired of applying sanctions, especially when they have an economic impact for them.
“Ukraine will win this war anyway, because its people are fighting for their territory… The question (is) at what cost,” Kouleba said.
“If our partners continue to take courageous decisions to increase economic and political pressure…if they continue to provide us with the necessary weapons, the price will be less,” he added.
But “if in the world one day begins to feel tired of the sanctions (…) more people in Ukraine will die, will suffer”, according to Mr. Kouleba.
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