Air defence systems delivered by NATO allies and partners to Ukraine have made a huge difference and are one of the reasons Russia has not been able to gain air superiority, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with Deutsche Welle at the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum on October 18, 2022.
“A big disadvantage”
“The systems NATO allies and partners have delivered have already made a huge difference. This is one of the reasons why Russia has not been able to gain air superiority, control over the airspace over Ukraine. And that has been a big disadvantage for the Russian troops throughout the operation,” Stoltenberg said.
He credited Ukrainian forces using older Soviet-era systems supplied with new ammunition, as well as newer systems such as a German air defence system recently delivered.
Jammers against drones
Stoltenberg said Ukraine needed different systems for ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, and that NATO would soon deliver hundreds of jammers to counter drones, including Iranian-made ones. He also called for winter support such as generators and tents.
Nuclear risk
He described the risk of Russian nuclear use as low but said the consequences would be so severe that it had to be taken seriously, stressing that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” He warned that supplying Ukraine from existing stocks was unsustainable and that allies needed to boost production.
Sources
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