Ukraine-Russia war latest: US should send Kyiv more air defence missiles, congressmen say

The US government should respond positively to President Volodymyr ​Zelensky’s request for more air defence missiles to shield Ukraine’s capital from a threatened escalation in Russian bombardment, two U.S. congressmen said on Thursday.

President Zelensky wrote to Donald Trump and the members of the ⁠US Congress this week to request additional Patriot systems and interceptors – the only effective shield against Russia’s ballistic missiles in Ukraine’s arsenal.

After meeting ⁠with Zelensky in Kyiv, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the United ​States ⁠had complied several times in the ‌past with Kyiv’s requests for additional weapons.

“My hope and expectation is that America will respond positively to this request,” said Blumenthal, speaking alongside US Representative ‌Jim Himes, a fellow Democrat.

Both congressmen, Blumenthal said, ‌would lobby on their return to Washington for additional air defence interceptors for Ukraine and tougher sanctions on Russia: “What we will regard as our mission, as we go back, is to ⁠make sure that Ukraine has the means to do the job.”

We can bring you more from Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who we heard from earlier.

She said that the number of drone attacks on Russian territory from the direction of Europe and Northern European states is increasing.

Moscow has made clear its concern Ukrainian drones could be using Baltic or other countries’ airspace to launch attacks on targets inside Russia.

But this assertion is rejected by Kyiv and the three Baltic countries.

The deployment of additional US military forces to Poland could lead to a “qualitative escalation” of the tension between Russia and the West, Moscow has said.

Russia may be forced to take retaliatory measures, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

She didn’t specify exactly what these measures could entail.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has firmly denied reports suggesting a change in its operations, asserting it remains open despite recent warnings from Russia and conflicting statements from European officials. The denial came on Thursday, following Moscow’s advisories for diplomats and foreigners to leave the Ukrainian capital ahead of potential escalated attacks.

Confusion arose after some Ukrainian media cited remarks by European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Speaking on the sidelines of an EU meeting in Cyprus, Kallas indicated that all foreign embassies in Kyiv had disregarded Moscow’s threats, “except one.” She stated, “What we heard from Ukraine yesterday was that all the embassies stayed except one. All the Europeans stayed. America left.” This prompted several EU states to summon Russian ambassadors after the warning was issued on Monday.

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Ukraine will receive its first Saab Gripen fighter jets of the models C and D in 2027 and new Gripen Model E and F jets from 2030 onwards, Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday.

We earlier reported that Sweden will procure for Kyiv up to 20 Gripen E/F aircraft for €2.5 billion (£2.2bn), financed from a European loan, as a first step ina. major new defence deal.

Russia’s foreign ministry has said that Europe should show some proof of allegations that Moscow is jamming GPS signals in Europe.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, speaking about the claims from EU countries that Russia is jamming GPS signals in Europe, said on Thursday that those making the allegations should first provide “at least some evidence.”

So far, these are just words, and one cannot take them at face value, Ms Zakharova said.

Russia has summoned the ambassador to Luxembourg to protest against the exhumation of the remains of Andriy Melnyk, a Ukrainian nationalist leader during World War Two whom Moscow described as a “Nazi collaborator.”

Melnyk, who sided with Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union, was reburied with full state honours with his wife near Kyiv on Monday after being exhumed in Luxembourg.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow regarded the reburial as a sign of disrespect towards the millions of victims of Nazi Germany.

As we reported earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky is in Sweden to sign a major defence deal on fighter jets – we can now bring you more.

Kyiv will acquire Swedish fighter jets in a major defence deal signed on Thursday, Mr Zelensky’s office said.

As a first step, Sweden will procure for Kyiv up to 20 Gripen E/F aircraft for €2.5 billion (£2.2bn), financed from a European loan.

Sweden also aims to donate 16 Gripen C/D aircraft as bilateral assistance when Ukraine proceeds with the intended purchase, the statement said.