Brussels: Ukraine’s Western backers are failing to give Ukraine the air defense systems it desperately needs to protect itself from Russian bombardments, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday.

Borrell said Kyiv was asking its allies to urgently send seven Patriot missile systems to help counter Russian attacks.

“It would be inconceivable that we are not able to provide them given that the Western armies have about 100 batteries of Patriot. And still we are not able to provide the seven they are asking desperately,” Borrell said.

Borrell stressed the situation in Ukraine is extremely difficult, with the Russian military machine running at full speed. He pointed out that about 80 percent of arms purchases are made outside the European Union, and 80 percent of purchases come from the United States, calling for an end to this dependence.

Source: Qatar News Agency