Kiev aims to take a major step forward in strengthening its defense. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced over the weekend that he has instructed his Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov to equip Ukraine with its own air defense capability.
“We will take measures regarding air defense and missile construction; you will see them. It is a necessary transformation to move forward, as we simply have no other way,” explained Volodymyr Zelensky in front of a group of journalists.
Zelensky described this project as “an absolute strategic priority.” The question now is what options Kiev has. “Either the United States grants us a license for the Patriot system, or we obtain one from one of our European partners, or Ukraine acquires its own air defense system,” outlined President Zelensky. “We must not discard any of these options.”
Currently, Ukraine heavily relies on air defense systems provided by the West, whether it be the Patriot systems delivered by the United States, the NASAMS systems developed by Norway, or even the new SAMP/T defense system delivered by France. These platforms are all designed to intercept cruise missiles, fighter jets, or even Russian drones.
To reduce this dependence, Mykhailo Fedorov has begun consultations with Ukrainian defense companies and has submitted an initial report to Volodymyr Zelensky, the findings of which have not been disclosed to the public.
In January, Mykhailo Fedorov had announced his intention to build “an anti-drone dome” over the country. “Our task is to build a system that does not react after the fact, but destroys the enemy threat while it is still approaching,” he had explained.
