Ukraine War Could Drag On for Years, Former Ambassador Says

Almost 10 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin's troops invaded Ukraine, a former ambassador to the U.S. is warning that the war could drag on for years.

Ukrainian diplomat Valeriy Chaly, who was Ukraine's ambassador to the United States from 2015 to 2019, warned that the newly promised Patriot advanced missile system from the U.S. won't be enough, and that Ukraine needs more weapons to win the war.

Ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's stop in Washington on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled a $1.85 billion military package for Kyiv that included a Patriot missile system.

The Ukrainian leader has for months been asking the U.S. for stronger weapons to shoot down Russian missiles, as Putin's forces have been bombarding Ukraine's energy infrastructure, causing blackouts across the country.

Chaly, in an interview with Ukraine's Radio NV, suggested that if the U.S. and other Ukraine allies don't provide the war-torn country with more weapons to fight Russia, the conflict could last for years.

"The Patriot system, for example, is not enough to close the sky, you need planes. Everyone knows this very well. We need F-16s at least, or maybe some others. We need air-to-air missiles, we need air-to-ground missiles. So we can close the sky," he said.

The ground-based Patriot missile defense system would be the most advanced surface-to-air missile Washington has provided to Kyiv since the war began. With a range of over 65 miles, it can detect, track, and engage drones, cruise missiles, and short-range or tactical ballistic missiles, according to the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance.

The U.S. has provided Ukraine with other significant military aid, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which have been credited with turning the tide of the war.

"Defense systems will not solve the problem. You won't close the sky with one Patriot battery," said Chaly. "If we now equip the Armed Forces of Ukraine as they need, this is a chance to end this war in months. If not, it will drag on for years. This is not the scenario that Ukraine needs."

Chaly said that according to Valery Zaluzhny, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, 300 tanks, 700 armored infantry vehicles and several hundred artillery systems are needed.

On November 30, Blinken announced that the U.S., along with its NATO allies, had provided more than $40 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the conflict began on February 24.

The U.S. has also supplied Ukraine with weapons including over 1,600 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, more than 8,500 Javelin anti-armor systems and 42 155 mm howitzers. American munitions and equipment that have been sent to Kyiv include four Avenger air defense systems, high-speed anti-radiation missiles, 20 Mi-17 helicopters and 45 T-72B tanks.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned on Wednesday that deliveries of American weapons to Ukraine will lead to an escalation of the conflict.

Newsweek reached out to the Biden administration for comment.

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