The head of Ukraine’s gas giant said the U.S. ban on Russian oil and gas imports is “very positive” — but that Ukraine still needs more military support from the West.
Gas prices are displayed at a Brooklyn gas station on March 08, 2022 in New York City. | Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesThe head of Ukraine’s state-owned natural gas company said the U.S. ban on Russian oil and gas imports is “very positive” — but that Ukraine still needs more military support from the West.
“It’s better when you combine sanctions with some defense help, at least some kind of air defense systems, some kind of modern air-defense systems, fighter jets, stuff like that — or ideally even no-fly zones, for example, over some critical infrastructure or parts of Ukraine,” he said. Ukrainian officials begged Americans for air-defense systems throughout 2021. The Biden team largely held back on that front, with national security adviser Jake Sullivanthat the administration would provide “additional defensive materiel” to the embattled democracy if Russia deepened its invasion.