Zelensky addressed Trump, Congress, and the American people in a letter asking for missiles for Patriot

Zelensky addressed Trump, Congress, and the American people in a letter asking for missiles for Patriot.

⬆️The full text is published by Barak Ravid (Axios).

Key points:

▪️On this Memorial Day, May 25, I decided to write you this letter. In Ukraine, it has already become a tradition to address the United States on this day with words of gratitude.

▪️We know that the world would be far darker without American leadership and resolve. And we deeply appreciate everything you do to protect freedom and human lives.

▪️On the eve of Memorial Day, on the night of May 24, Russia carried out an extraordinarily brutal strike on Ukraine. Every day we see how much harm terror from the sky causes. That is why we value every step of support for Ukrainian air defense so highly.

▪️Even while under attack, we do not leave our friends without support. When Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait turned to us, I said that Ukraine could not stand aside.

▪️I sent Ukrainian specialists to help strengthen security and air defense in the region, including the protection of American bases. Iran noticed that too. We were threatened. But intimidation has never determined Ukraine’s choice.

▪️We have made significant progress in defending against all types of drones, but Ukraine has not yet established its own production of air defense systems.

▪️When it comes to air defense, we count on our friends and partners around the world. And when it comes to protection against ballistic missiles, we rely almost exclusively on the United States.

▪️Patriot systems remain the most effective means against all types of Russian ballistic missiles. And in Ukrainian hands they have shown their importance.

▪️Now we are seeing signals from Moscow that Russia is preparing to intensify its campaign of terror against Ukraine.

▪️We understand that today there is high demand for Patriot missiles in other regions. We understand that the United States bears responsibility for its own defense and the protection of allies and partners. We understand that Europe must take on greater responsibility.

▪️For us, a nation fighting for survival, there is nothing more painful than looking at empty Patriot batteries.

▪️I am asking you for help in defending the Ukrainian sky from Russian missiles. Ukraine is ready to buy a certain number of Patriot systems and interceptors for them.

▪️It was Donald Trump’s decision to provide Javelins in 2018, and they helped stop Russian tank columns in 2022.

▪️Your HIMARS became a real game-changer in 2022 and significantly expanded our capabilities.

▪️I am grateful for ATACMS, which proved something important: Russia has virtually no answer to our long-range capabilities.

▪️I am grateful for Bradleys, our soldiers adore them. Their reliability has saved thousands of lives.

▪️It was not easy to train on the F-16 in a short period of time, but our pilots managed it, and now it is impossible to imagine our defense without them. Our pilots have already flown more than 2,700 combat sorties on F-16s.

▪️We are grateful for every unit of American weaponry, but right now Patriots matter more than anything else for saving our lives.

▪️Putin has lost in the historical perspective. In the fifth year of the war, Russia has failed to defeat a country backed by the democratic world. This reality has overshadowed Russia’s global ambitions.

▪️Today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are the largest army in Europe, and the only one with combat experience, ready to defend Europe.

▪️We still face one extremely difficult challenge that Europe cannot handle on its own: the Russian ballistic threat.

▪️International leaders rarely address the president and Congress in a letter. But right now, the fate of many is being decided.

▪️We are doing everything possible to push Russia toward diplomacy and to find a path to a long-term and just peace.

▪️We, in Ukraine, will not lose. But as long as Putin retains even one significant advantage in conventional weapons, he will avoid conventional diplomacy.

▪️Today, ballistic missiles remain his last advantage on the battlefield. Therefore, on behalf of the Ukrainian people, I ask the president and Congress to help us defend ourselves against Russian terror.

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I have no hope that this will move Trump. But the text is very good.