On Thursday, April 4, the meeting of the heads of foreign affairs of NATO member countries, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the organization, continued in Brussels. the festivities were disrupted by Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba. He participated in the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting, urging allies to supply Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine. The outcome of this appeal was closely observed by Apostrophe.
The second day of the NATO foreign affairs heads meeting in Brussels commenced with a grand concert honoring the organization's 75th anniversary. The ceremony, attended by foreign ministers from NATO countries, military and diplomatic leaders, as well as headquarters staff, featured a musical performance by the Royal Band of the Belgian Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Navy.
Following the celebratory speeches, the ceremony participants jointly cut a large cake adorned with NATO symbols. Subsequently, a slice of this cake was distributed to each of the 32 foreign ministers representing the member countries of the Alliance.
A piece of birthday cake ended up on every minister's table
The subsequent agenda item was the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting, featuring the presence of Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Following the meeting, the minister conveyed to Ukrainian journalists that while the initial intent was to discuss preparations for the upcoming Washington NATO summit on July 9-11, he seized the opportunity to press the Allies for Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems. Kuleba emphasized his message prior to the Council meeting, stating, ’Te primary message I wish to convey to the allies is Patriot!’
According to Minister Kuleba, in March alone, the Russian Federation launched 94 ballistic missiles into Ukrainian territory. He emphasized that the Patriot system possesses the capability to intercept and neutralize such airborne threats. Urging allies for assistance, Kuleba stressed the importance of protecting Ukrainian citizens and the economy from enemy attacks. He highlighted the recent example of four Shahed drones strikes on Kharkov by the Russian army during the night of April 4, resulting in four fatalities and ten injuries.
‘I'm here for the Patriots,’ declared Dmytro Kuleba as he addressed journalists. He stated that during the day, he engaged in 15 bilateral meetings, each commencing with apologies for the disrupted festive atmosphere. However, the discussions swiftly pivoted to the primary concern: the timeline and quantity of Patriot systems that could be supplied to Ukraine.
Dmytro Kuleba convinced the allies to provide Ukraine with Patriot
Following talks with allies, it was revealed that Germany, leading the air defense coalition, instigated an ‘immediate analysis’ of all existing Patriot systems and other anti-aircraft missile systems globally. The objective is to transfer them to the Kyiv military command and expedite delivery to Ukraine.
‘I explicitly identified to our partners the batteries we deem available for delivery to Ukraine. I urged them not to seek refusals but to proceed with taking and delivering them,’ stated Dmytro Kuleba.
The specific terms of the transfer of air defense systems required by Ukraine remain undisclosed. However, during the concluding press conference, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg affirmed that the allies acknowledge the criticality of enhancing Ukraine's air defense capabilities. He pledged to explore the possibility of providing Ukraine with additional air defense systems, notably the Patriot. Stoltenberg emphasized that he would refrain from elaborating until the process is finalized.
