Ukraine PM calls for long-range missiles to fight back Russia

Shmyhal says delays in providing long-range artillery, missile equipment is ‘main danger for us on the battlefield’.

Ukraine needs long-range missiles and other ammunition to repel Russian troops, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said, as the country nears its third year of war amid battle losses and shrinking foreign aid.

Speaking during a visit to Japan on Tuesday, Shmyhal said Ukraine has modern equipment and trained soldiers and is fighting at NATO standards, but the country needs more long-range missiles for air defence against Russia on the front line.

“Unfortunately, now they prevail in the air and unfortunately this leads to some consequences from the front line, but I should say that we have no refuses from our partners to supply military equipment to Ukraine,” he said.

Shmyhal’s comments came as ammunition shortages and limited manpower are causing Ukraine some serious losses on the battlefield.

On Sunday, Russian troops captured Avdiivka, a key hub city to access the industrial Donbas region, marking their biggest success since the fall of Bakhmut in May.

But support from Western powers has been facing pushback over growing costs, while lawmakers in Washington continued to wrangle over a military aid package for Kyiv.

Should the $95bn foreign aid package survive a vote in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, US media reports suggest that President Joe Biden is considering including long-range ballistic missiles. These are weapons with a longer reach compared with the medium-range missiles sent so far by the United States. They would allow Ukraine to hit inside the Russian-controlled Crimean Peninsula.

The US has until now provided Ukraine with about $111bn, largely in weapons but also equipment and humanitarian assistance.