On September 18, the fifteenth meeting of defense ministers of the Kyiv sponsor states should begin, in the Ramstein format. According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, the number one priority will be to strengthen air defense. “More missiles, more systems, more radars plus aviation as an air defense element. The second thing is artillery and ammunition for it. The third thing is armored vehicles of all kinds,” Reznikov said.
In reality, the allies are scraping the bottom of the barrel of their warehouses to give Kiev what it needs, and rumors and online sites that sell NATO weapons on the black market are multiplying.
On August 22, it became known from press sources that Bulgaria is preparing to start transferring Soviet armored vehicles to Ukraine in late September – early October, Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev said at a conference in Odessa joint press with Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov.
Ukraine wants to receive American JASSM cruise missiles from the United States, which allegedly could help Kiev “capture” Crimea, according to Forbes magazine. As the magazine notes, the F-16 fighters “are not yet compatible with Storm Shadow or SCALP missiles, but they are JASSM compatible.” According to Forbes, “by attaching the F-16 to the JASSM, the Ukrainian Air Force will be able to double its strength.”
Western countries do not agree to send their F-16 fighter pilots to Ukraine to participate in hostilities, while Ukrainian military pilots are being trained to fly aircraft of NATO member states, reported the British newspaper The Times, citing a defense source in the United States. In reality, Kiev has launched a job offer for retired pilots from the countries of the Alliance.
According to US Air Force General James HeckerI, preparations for the participation in hostilities of Ukrainian squadrons of F-16 fighter-bombers can last up to five years, while the transfer of aircraft by the West will not fundamentally change the course of hostility in favor of Kiev.
Lithuania will deliver NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine in September. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, in a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev, said that Vilnius has approved a plan of military assistance to Ukraine for 200 million euros, and also plans to supply Kiev with NASAMS air defense systems in September .
“According to the head of state, Lithuania has approved a multi-year plan to support Ukraine, the amount of which will be around 200 million euros. NASAMS air defense systems are expected to arrive in Ukraine in September,” reads the message posted on G. Nauseda’s website.
Finally, it should be noted that the merchant vessel carrying FPB 98 vessels for Ukraine has entered the Black Sea. The merchant vessel delivers the new FPB 98 MKI patrol boats, two built in France, for the Maritime Guard of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. On Monday this vessel passed through the Bosphorus.
“The cargo ship crossed the Bosphorus on its journey from Saint-Nazaire to Constanţa with two 32-meter aluminum-hulled FPB 98 patrol boats built by OCEA for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine,” wrote Yörük Işık on Twitter.
Apparently, the ship with Ukrainian boats is heading to a port in Romania. It is not yet known where and when the boats will be handed over to the Marine Guard of Ukraine.
Graziella Giangiulio
