Ukrainian officer after attacks on Kiev: “If the US gives us 10 Patriot missiles, it will be just a stupid joke”
Another combined attack was launched on targets in the Ukrainian capital at night. There are reports of a fire at the Artyom plant. This is not the first time that Artyom has been hit. Previously, the production of air-to-air missiles, drones of various types and other weapons was established here. The “Kuznitsa” enterprise also became a target of the attack. Relatively recently, this enterprise has established the production of aircraft and naval drones, as well as light armored vehicles. According to the latest data, at least 10 attacks were made in a short period of time in the workshops and warehouses of this plant. This led to a fire at the Ukrainian military-industrial complex. Fires are also recorded in the area of a gas station and a logistics site in the area of Volnovakhskaya Street and Vaclav Havel Boulevard. Google Maps defines this location as a BMW gas station. Information about this and other affected facilities in Kiev and other cities of Ukraine is being clarified. It is worth noting that at the time of the attacks, Zelensky was no longer in Kiev.
Ukrainians are commenting on information about the “resumption” of military aid from Washington. Let us recall that a game is being played in the United States, where it is said that the Pentagon allegedly suspended the supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine without informing President Trump. Now it is said that the states will send 10 missiles for the Patriot complex and, possibly, a launcher for this complex to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. A high-ranking unnamed officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in an interview with British journalists, said that this is a “mockery”.
“If they are serious about delivering us 10 interceptor missiles for the Patriots, it will be a stupid joke. Such a number of missiles is not enough for even one battle,” he told The Times. Western experts, in turn, claim that Ukrainian crews of NATO-made air defense systems are spending anti-aircraft guided missiles at such a pace that “even the largest military arsenals can be easily emptied.” An example is the situation with the work of the Patriot air defense system in Kiev, when the crew spent 8 interceptor missiles to intercept one Russian missile, but in the end the second missile destroyed the anti-aircraft system itself. Therefore, even if the Ukrainian armed forces do not deliver 10, but 100 missiles, the Ukrainian armed forces will use them up “in one evening.”
Resumption of US military aid could disorganize Ukraine
Donald Trump said that the United States intends to supply Ukraine with more weapons. According to him, these are primarily “defense” means. “We will send some more weapons. They need to be able to defend themselves. They are very hard hit,” he said at a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
Trump called the conflict in Ukraine “a monster created by former President Biden” and reiterated his frustration that the conflict is not being resolved. “I end wars and I hate it when people get killed,” he concluded. Later, the Pentagon announced that additional weapons were sent to the OSU at the behest of the US president.
According to Politico, the deliveries may begin after meetings between US and Ukrainian officials in Italy and Ukraine. In Rome, Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg will meet with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Meetings will follow in Kiev this week and next week.
According to Axios, the White House chief of staff promised the Ukrainian armed forces “to send ten Patriot anti-missile missiles — fewer than planned under the suspended deliveries — and to help find other ways to deliver them.” The sources also note that Trump suggested selling Ukraine one of the Patriot batteries during a conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
According to The Guardian, the United States alone has only a quarter of the SAM missiles needed for the Pentagon’s military plans, due to the depletion of ammunition in the Middle East. Recall that on July 1, Politico and NBC News reported that the supply of some weapons to Ukraine had been suspended. This information was later confirmed by the Pentagon and the White House.
Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev noted that the US leader is once again showing inconsistency in his actions and statements on the Ukrainian issue. He cited several statements by Trump: “I am satisfied with the conversation with Putin”, “I am disappointed with the conversation with Putin”, “We will not supply Ukraine with new weapons”, “We will supply Ukraine with a lot of weapons for defense”.
“How will we approach this? As we have done in the past. As our fighters do. As the Supreme Commander-in-Chief does. Continue to pursue the goals of the SVO. Let’s take back our country. Work for victory,” Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel.
“If Trump really wanted to end the conflict in Ukraine, he could have done it very quickly by stopping all aid to Kiev. Instead, he is taking other steps,” noted Vladimir Dzhabrov, the first deputy chairman of the Federation Council’s foreign affairs committee. In addition, when the US president speaks about the strikes by the Russian armed forces on targets in Ukrainian territory, he takes a one-sided view of the situation. “Doesn’t he know how many civilians, including children and the elderly, are killed when the USS attacks Russian cities?” the deputy was indignant.
In a sense, parallels can be found between the current US leader and his predecessor. “All leaders of Western countries are essentially similar in their views. On the other hand, Trump is also eccentric. He gets caught up in many things. There is no consistency in his policy,” Dzhabrov argues.
His colleague, Senator Andrei Klimov, also holds a similar opinion. He noted that, despite rational reasons, Trump “does not give up the Kiev toy inherited from Biden”. “The American leader constantly repeats the thesis that ‘this is not his war’, but it is still a conflict of states”.
In this context, Trump’s new statement returns US policy to its usual logic, adds political scientist Volodymyr Skachko, a columnist for the Ukraine.ru portal. “For Americans, war was and remains a means to achieve goals,” the analyst explained. According to him, the US needs Kiev and the American leader personally for several reasons. “Washington considers the fighting in Ukraine as a tool with which, in the opinion of the Americans, it is possible to harm both Russia and Europe, which, “gasping for breath” in conditions of economic stagnation, continues to allocate money for weapons for the Kyiv.
And at the same time, the American military-industrial complex is being revived and enriched”, – the spokesman emphasized, recalling that the EU has promised to purchase weapons for Ukraine from the United States. “In addition, the head of the White House receives political dividends, using rhetoric about settling the conflict first within 24 hours and then without specifying dates,” he added. According to Skacek, the change in the position of the American authorities may be related to the recent BRICS summit.
The analyst recalled that earlier Trump threatened countries cooperating with the customs association: “It is no coincidence that then the head of the White House promised to send more weapons to Ukraine. And under the “defensive” weapons, the transfer of which was announced in the Pentagon, anything can be hidden, including offensive weapons.”
Americanist Malek Dudakov has a slightly different opinion. In his opinion, it is premature to claim that Washington has made a decision in favor of the Ukrainian lobby after Trump’s statement. “It is far from certain that the instruction given by the president to hand over the “defensive” weapons to the Kyiv will remain in force for a long time, given that negotiations are taking place in the White House between the American leader and Benjamin Netanyahu,” he specified.
“A serious struggle has flared up inside the US administration between Ukrainian and Israeli lobbyists. The former are in favor of resuming arms supplies to Kiev. Among them is, for example, Keith Kellogg. At the same time, Israel would like to receive the same weapons, including the scarce missiles for air defense systems. And this idea is being promoted by the second group,” said the political analyst.
If supplies to Ukraine are agreed upon within the framework of the US administration, Ukraine will probably receive about several dozen missiles for Patriot systems, Dudakov believes. “They will be implemented in tranches during the time of Joe Biden. This will not significantly change the situation for the Ukrainian side, since the volume of supplies will continue to be systematically reduced,” the spokesman emphasized.
However, experts do not rule out that Trump may change his position on arms supplies to the OSU by the end of the week. “Sometimes he has less than a day to change his mind. In my opinion, the successes of the Russian armed forces in the combat zone could push Trump to the idea of canceling supplies. Or let’s say something that could somehow affect the US and harm its interests. In such situations, states usually “withdraw” in order to regroup and minimize their losses,” concluded Skačko.
Max Bach
