After the meeting with Zelensky in Kyiv, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal stated that the United States has previously fulfilled Kyiv’s requests for additional weaponry multiple times.
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“I hope and believe that America will respond positively to this request,” he said, speaking alongside Representative Jim Himes, who is also a Democrat.
According to Blumenthal, upon returning to Washington, both congressmen will seek additional air defense capabilities for Ukraine and stricter sanctions against Russia.
“Our mission upon return will be to provide Ukraine with the means to accomplish this task,” he stated.
The publication reminds that since Donald Trump took office, Ukraine has been acquiring “MIM-104 Patriot” missiles under the NATO initiative PURL (Priority Ukraine Requirements List), which is funded by European ally funds.
Himes noted that discussions in Washington regarding military aid to Ukraine are complicated by the US war with Iran, which consumes important resources.
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“This war should have ended yesterday for many reasons, including that the materials now used in the Persian Gulf should be used for our defense and transferred to Ukraine,” he said.
Zelensky’s letter to Trump
On Monday, Russia urged foreigners and diplomats to leave Kyiv and announced plans to carry out “systematic strikes” on targets in the Ukrainian capital. During the last massive attack on Sunday, Russia launched 30 ballistic missiles at Ukraine, of which only 11 were successfully intercepted.
This week, Zelensky sent a letter to US President Donald Trump and members of the US Congress, requesting additional “Patriot” air defense systems and missile interceptors – the only effective protection against Russian ballistic missiles in Ukraine’s arsenal.
Zelensky thanked the United States for its support but noted that the pace of missile interceptor deliveries under the PURL initiative no longer matches the scale of the threat in Ukraine.
