Air-Defence Systems: Zelensky Tours Baltic States Appealing For More Weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Latvia, the final stop on his Baltic mini-tour as he attempts to drum up further support and particularly more missiles for his nation’s taxed air defence system.

Ukraine has proven stopping Russia is possible, but it “badly” needs modern air defence systems, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said as he tours European nations again, seeking more arms for his defensive war against Russia. His visits to the first two tour stops Lithuania and Estonia were fruitful, with new support packages announced, and he arrived in Latvia, the final stop, on Thursday afternoon.

As ever, requesting more air defence missiles was a major focus of Zelensky’s trip. He said on Wednesday while in Lithuania that while “we have proven that Russia can be stopped, that deterrence is possible”, the country still lacks “modern air defence systems badly… [they are] what we need the most.” Nevertheless, Zelensky acknowledged there were already shortages and producing more advanced missiles in a hurry isn’t something Western defence contractors were necessarily geared up for.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine’s president, left, and Edgars Rinkevics, Latvia’s president, during a news conference at Riga Castle in Riga, Latvia, on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. The US wants Ukraine to sharpen its plan for fighting Russia’s invasion as the war heads into its third year and is expected to raise the issue with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Davos next week. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images

He said: “Warehouses are empty. And there are many challenges to world defence”. Seeking to overcome this, Zelensky has been trying to persuade Western defence businesses to set up shop in Ukraine itself, and had some success with this programme yesterday, as the Ukrainian state defence company signed deals with four Lithuanian defence firms.

In Latvia on Thursday evening President Edgars Rinkēvičs said he was preparing a new support package to Ukraine including “155mm ammunition, anti-tank weapons, missiles, grenades, helicopters, drones, communication devices, generators, and equipment”.

The Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda hailed Zelensky on Wednesday and said his country wanted to see “Ukraine’s complete victory” in the “tiring” conflict as soon as possible. Lithuania pledged $220 million in new support for Ukraine.

The President of Estonia, where Zelensky travelled on Wednesday night, said the West had done much to support Ukraine but it should do more. President Alar Karis said: “there is the hope that this will remain the last military aggression in Europe, where someone wants to dictate to their neighbour with missiles, drones and cannons what political choices can be made”.

Estonia pledged $1.3 billion over the next three years. The trio of Baltic states are considered stalwart allies of Ukraine given their own history of being invaded and occupied by Russia.

A shortage of air defence missiles and launch systems is a long-term issue for Ukraine, which is surrounded north, east, and south by hostile territory and consequently has a considerable area to defend from incoming drones and missiles. The asymmetric nature of Russian strikes is also felt, as million-dollar missiles are used to shoot down cheap, mass-produced attack drones.

This has also featured in the tactics of individual attacks, with waves of drones sent first to exhaust air defence batteries, and missiles following behind.

Drone and missile warfare has become a primary element of the Ukraine War, and especially now as the conflict has bogged down into a 21st century version of trench warfare. Strikes have focussed on seeking out energy and other civilian infrastructure as winter sets in, with Ukraine reporting some of the heaviest bombardments of the war to date hitting its cities far away from the front lines.