Sibiga: NATO Summit's Main Message – Protect Ukrainian Children from Russian Ballistic Missiles
After a massive Russian ballistic attack on Kyiv, Ukraine's foreign minister urged NATO leaders to take immediate action to defend children, stressing the urgent need for Patriot interceptor missiles.
In the wake of a large-scale Russian attack on Kyiv overnight on July 6, involving over 20 ballistic missiles, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha declared that Ukraine's primary message to the NATO summit in Ankara is a call to protect Ukrainian children from Russian ballistic terror. The attack killed at least 11 people and injured 46, including two children, and damaged or destroyed at least 15 residential buildings.
Sybiha emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin's message to NATO leaders is straightforward: he will target sleeping children with ballistic missiles and continue killing as long as he can. The minister stated that the time for weak steps has passed and that the strongest outcome of the summit would be strengthening Ukraine's ability to defend its children. He called for concrete actions, not empty promises.
Ukraine urgently needs interceptor missiles for Patriot systems. Thousands of such missiles are stockpiled worldwide, but Sybiha noted that threats in Ukraine are not potential – they are real and kill people every week. Ukraine is currently the only country in the world that faces ballistic attacks weekly. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that it was unable to shoot down any of the 29 missiles that flew on a ballistic trajectory due to a shortage of Patriot missiles.
