Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has secured a pledge from Spain for additional air defense missiles to counter the approximately 3,000 bombs Russia launches at Ukraine each month. This commitment was made as the conflict enters its third year.
Despite this, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine urgently needs seven more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems to protect its power grid, civilian areas, and military targets from Russia's devastating glide bombs. He explained that these modern Patriot systems would prevent Russian aircraft from dropping glide bombs on civilian and military targets.
Glide bombs are heavy, Soviet-era bombs equipped with precision guidance systems, launched from aircraft flying out of air defense range. These bombs, weighing over a ton, cause massive destruction, leaving huge craters.
Zelenskyy noted that two Patriot systems are specifically needed to protect the northeastern Kharkiv region. This area faced a significant cross-border offensive by Russian forces on May 10, resulting in Ukrainian troops being overwhelmed. A glide bomb attack on a Kharkiv shopping mall on Saturday increased the death toll to 18, with five people still missing, according to regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
The Kharkiv offensive has further strained Ukraine's already depleted army, which has been combating Russia's intense push into the partially occupied eastern Donetsk region. Zelenskyy mentioned that the Kremlin's forces are regrouping at another location in Russia, close to the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, aiming to stretch Ukraine's defenses even thinner.
In a bilateral security agreement signed with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Spain pledged 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in military aid to Ukraine for 2024, increasing to 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) by 2027. This package includes more Leopard tanks and artillery ammunition.
Sánchez stressed the need to intensify support for Ukraine, stating, "After more than two years of war, Russia’s aggression continues, and that’s why it is more necessary than ever to redouble our support."
The Patriot is a highly effective but expensive surface-to-air missile system, capable of targeting aircraft, cruise missiles, and short-range ballistic missiles. However, European countries have been hesitant to send Patriot systems to Ukraine due to their own defense needs.
Spain’s King Felipe VI welcomed Zelenskyy at Madrid’s Barajas airport. Zelenskyy, who had postponed an earlier visit due to Russia's Kharkiv offensive, is scheduled to visit Portugal next.
Ukraine continues to strike behind Russian lines, often using drones. A Ukrainian long-range drone recently set a new distance record by attacking an early-warning radar in the Russian city of Orsk, 1,800 kilometers (1,120 miles) from the Ukrainian border. This operation, conducted by Ukraine’s military intelligence (GUR), surpassed the previous record of 1,500 kilometers (930 miles), achieved by striking an oil refinery in Russia’s Bashkortostan on May 9. These claims, however, could not be immediately verified.
A Western intelligence assessment suggested that Russia’s Kharkiv offensive has slowed. The U.K. Defense Ministry stated that "the northern Kharkiv front has likely stabilized with Russian territorial control fragmented and not joined up." They predicted limited Russian gains in the coming week due to Ukrainian resistance.
Zelenskyy had previously claimed that Ukrainian forces had regained "combat control" of areas where Russian troops had entered the Kharkiv region.
As the weather improves, Ukraine faces its most significant military test since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Slow support deliveries from Western partners, particularly delays in U.S. military aid, have left Ukraine vulnerable to Russia's larger army and air force.
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