Russia

Not enough air defense assets in whole world to meet Kiev’s needs — former Estonian leader

TASS English · 2026-09-14

AI SUMMARY

• What happened: Former Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid stated that there are insufficient air defense assets globally to meet Ukraine's needs, highlighting a worsening situation for the country amid ongoing conflict. • Why it matters: Kaljulaid's comments reflect Ukraine's urgent request for more air defense equipment, particularly as it faces challenges from new types of drones and a shortage of interceptor missiles. • What to watch next: Monitor developments regarding Western military aid to Ukraine, particularly any announcements related to air defense systems and missile supplies, as well as the ongoing impact of these shortages on the conflict.

Not enough air defense assets in whole world to meet Kiev’s needs — former Estonian leader The situation for Ukrainians has clearly worsened, Kersti Kaljulaid saidVILNIUS, September 14. /TASS/. There aren't enough air defenses in the world to meet Ukraine's needs, former Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid said in an interview with the Estonian state broadcaster ERR. According to the politician, during the so-called Yalta European Strategy conference held in Kiev on September 12-13, representatives of the defense industry of Western countries stated that "there is simply not enough air defense equipment in the world right now to meet Ukraine's needs." "The situation [for Ukrainians] has clearly worsened. They currently have no effective weapons against new types of drones," Kaljulaid noted, adding that this is the reason that Kiev is asking for more air defense equipment to be supplied. Ukraine has recently been experiencing a shortage of interceptor missiles. In particular, Kiev is trying to obtain new batches of missiles for Patriot air defense systems. The British newspaper Financial Times wrote that US President Donald Trump refused to supply hundreds of missiles for Patriot systems during a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky. Kiev constantly insists on increasing Western supplies of military aid. Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that the West's sending of weapons to Kiev and assistance in training Ukrainian military personnel only prolong the conflict and do not change the situation on the battlefield. 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Source: TASS English
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