V. "Guardian" draws attention to Ukraine's problems with air defense and the efforts NATO is making to strengthen it, BTA writes.
The British publication focuses on the words of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that the Alliance is working to provide Ukraine with the air defense it urgently needs.
Rutte made this statement after Kiev failed to shoot down a single Russian missile in an attack on Wednesday. At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow plans to significantly increase its missile production before winter.
"Guardian" refers to Zelensky's words, uttered at a meeting of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, that he does not exclude the idea that the pause in missile deliveries from Western allies "is intended to make Ukraine, so to speak, more willing to compromise" in peace talks with Russia.
After a conversation with Mark Rutte, Zelensky said: "It is important to remove administrative obstacles and make the necessary political decisions. Literally every day, the lives of people in Ukraine depend on the determination of our partners in Europe and the United States."
"The Guardian" recalls that in a night attack on Wednesday, Russia fired 24 ballistic missiles at Ukraine, killing at least 17 people. Ukrainian Air Force data showed that air defenses shot down 98 of the 115 drones launched by Russia, but none of the ballistic missiles.
The British publication also dwells on Zelensky's statement yesterday, according to which in the first half of this year, deliveries of missiles for Ukraine's air defense from its allies decreased by a third compared to last year.
Sergiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to the Ukrainian president on the development of defense technologies, said that Russia has the capacity to launch a hundred ballistic missiles each month, with which to attack logistics centers, industrial facilities, food warehouses and warehouses for other goods. "The war of attrition has entered its next phase," Beskrestnov said on the Telegram messaging app.
Ukraine has been short of the US-made Patriot interceptor missiles, which have been used to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles since the start of the war. The shortage has been acute in recent weeks, with Moscow striking Kiev on average once every three days last month. Zelensky said the shortage of interceptor missiles was largely due to the war in the Middle East.
The Guardian draws attention to statements by the Ukrainian Air Force that Patriot missile systems are the only system Ukraine has that can intercept the Russian Iskander-M, S-400 and Zircon missiles.
The shortage of interceptors has become increasingly acute following the US-Israeli war against Iran, which saw large quantities of Patriot and other interceptors used. The Guardian cited an analysis by the Associated Press that found US stocks of Patriots had fallen by at least 65% compared to before the Iran war. The Pentagon says it still has a large arsenal.
The production of new interceptors is not immediately able to fill the gap. Lockheed Martin delivered more than 600 of the latest interceptors last year and aims to achieve an annual capacity of 2,000 by 2030. However, according to some estimates, the Gulf states together launched more than 1,100 interceptors in the first three months of the war in the Middle East.
"The Guardian" cites NATO statements that the first production site for "Patriot" in Europe will be operational in September in Germany.
In addition, political signals from Washington have been variable, the British publication notes. At a NATO summit last month, US President Donald Trump said that the US would grant Ukraine a license to produce "Patriot". About three weeks later, he said that he had not made a final decision on the matter. Officials and experts say that even with a license, it will take years for Ukraine to start producing the interceptors.
Although Trump has cast doubt on the license deal, the United States is continuing talks to grant Ukraine such a permit.
The discussions are considering the possibility of Ukraine manufacturing some of the components for final assembly elsewhere in Europe.