The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has announced who will request a meeting Ukraine-NATO Council to order more defense systems and reach the “same level” of protection that Israel receives, which was helped by several Alliance countries in the downing of Iranian drones and missiles last Saturday.
“We give equal value to all lives. We must do it. We must protect them from terror at the same level. Ukraine will request a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council to discuss the protection of the sky, the supply of anti-aircraft meansof the corresponding systems and missiles,” Zelensky said this Tuesday night in his address to the nation.
“Are human lives different, is the value of people different?”asked just a few days after more than 300 drones and missiles were almost entirely shot down by Israel's air defenses with assistance from outside its national territory of United States, United Kingdom and France. For this reason, Zelensky has repeatedly asked his partners to guarantee Ukraine a similar level of protection.
[Irán avisa a los países que crucen los “límites” para ayudar a Israel: “Les cortaremos las piernas”]
We are working tirelessly to strengthen Ukraine's relations with partners, receive more tangible support, and ensure true equality in the protection from terror. So that when we face the same terror and strikes with missiles and drones, the rules are equal in Ukraine, Europe, and… pic.twitter.com/EesPe2MbYG
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 16, 2024
Zelensky recalled in his speech that Israel, like Ukraine, is not part of NATO and considers that members of the Alliance could become more involved in the defense of Ukraine without needing to activate Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and go to war with Russia.
“We are working to get more real help. To achieve real equality in defense against terror“, he noted, adding that “Shahed drones and ballistic missiles are the same” when used against Israel and when fired against Ukraine. “Is people's value different? No, it is not,” Zelensky insisted, asking his partners for more help.
Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has been asking its allies to send it sufficient anti-aircraft systems to protect its territory and infrastructure from Russian air attacks. kyiv has received some of the help it asks for, but remains vulnerable to Russian missiles and drones that cause deaths almost daily in Ukrainian territory.
