Ukraine President: West 'not ready' to shoot down Russian missiles

On October 3, President Zelensky met with the new Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Mr. Rutte. Mr. Rutte visited Kiev just two days after taking over the position of head of the US-led military bloc.

“We will continue to convince our partners of the need to shoot down Russian missiles and drones,” Zelensky told the media, noting that the West “is not ready yet.”

Kiev has been trying to push NATO countries to extend their air defenses to Ukrainian territory for months, arguing that Western-funded missile systems cannot counter the upcoming Russian offensive.

In July, Ukraine signed a security pact with Poland on these terms. However, Warsaw withdrew the agreement, citing the need to consult with NATO.

At a press conference with Mr Rutte, Mr Zelensky stressed that Ukraine needed weapons of sufficient quantity and quality to turn the tide on the battlefield - including long-range weapons, which he said were being delayed by Kiev's partners.

The new NATO Secretary General said he chose Kiev as the first destination of his trip to clearly affirm to the Ukrainian people and everyone watching that NATO always stands with Ukraine.

Mr Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, also told the Ukrainian leader that his “priority and privilege” was to support Kiev and work to ensure that Kiev prevailed. He also pledged that Ukraine would one day become a full member of NATO. He stressed that Russia had no vote and no veto on this issue.

However, Mr. Rutte dodged questions about providing air defense systems to Ukraine and limiting the use of long-range Western weapons against Kiev, noting that this was not a decision for NATO, but for each member of the bloc.

“Of course, shooting down drones or missiles that violate the territory of an ally is a decision for national authorities,” Mr. Rutte said. He explained that since this also affects NATO, member states are still in close consultation when these situations arise.

“Regarding restrictions on arms transfers to Ukraine, that is up to the individual allies to decide and not NATO,” Mr. Rutte stressed, but said that the bloc intended to discuss the issue at the meeting on October 12.

Last month, President Vladimir Putin warned that the issue was not whether the West would allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons to attack Russian territory, but rather that long-range weapons could not be used without the direct involvement of Western troops.

“This means that NATO members, the United States, European countries are fighting against Russia. This will significantly change the nature of the Ukrainian conflict and force Russia to make appropriate decisions,” Putin warned at the time.