Russia Selensky complains about lack of air defense
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky complains about the lack of air defense systems to protect against Russian attacks.
10.11.2024, 05:59
SDA
"Unfortunately, this week brought Ukraine brutal Russian attacks on Kharkiv, Donetsk, Sumy, Odessa and Zaporizhia," said Zelensky in his evening video address. There are drone and missile attacks almost every day. "And at every meeting, at every negotiation with partners who have corresponding air defense systems, it's always about the additional protection of Ukraine from Russian terror."
Selensky criticized the willingness of partners to provide Ukraine with additional air defence systems. "Here in Europe, on the continent, there are enough other air defense systems that could offer Ukraine really reliable protection," he said. "And you can't understand that when air defense systems are just standing around, even though each system could save hundreds or even thousands of lives."
Several people have been killed and injured in Russian drone and missile attacks against Ukrainian cities in recent days. Although the Ukrainian air defense intercepted a large proportion of the drones and missiles, the number of missiles approaching from different directions is overloading the defense capabilities. On Saturday evening, Russia launched new swarms of drones at as yet unknown targets in Ukraine.
Kiev wants to prepare for Zelenskyi's meeting with Trump
Ukraine has announced that it will begin preparations for a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President-elect Donald Trump. This was stated by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha at a press conference with EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell in Kiev. However, Sybiha did not give any details - neither on a time frame nor on the location of a possible meeting. "The dialog between Trump and Selenskyj has already been established," he said, referring to the most recent telephone conversation between the two politicians a few days ago. "We are open to further cooperation."
Trump and Zelensky last met in New York at the end of September on the fringes of a trip to the USA by the Ukrainian president. On that occasion, Zelensky presented the Ukrainian peace plan to Trump, which at its core envisaged "peace through strength", Sybiha recalled. Central points of this plan include further Western arms deliveries to Kiev and a prompt invitation to join Nato. Trump's election victory has global consequences, Sybiha emphasized. Ukraine hopes that this will give it a chance to accelerate the path to a just peace.
Following Trump's entry into the White House on January 20, Kiev must fear that US military support could be drastically reduced or even discontinued. Since the start of the war in February 2022, the USA has been Ukraine's most important ally in the fight against the Russian invasion with its arms deliveries and financial aid.
Report: US government seeks rapid arms deliveries to Kiev
Meanwhile, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the current US administration of President Joe Biden is seeking to send billions worth of additional military support to Ukraine before the changeover in the White House in January. Biden wants to give Ukraine a stronger negotiating position and strengthen the lines of defense in the east of the country. Among other things, Kiev will receive 500 missiles for the Patriot and Nasam air defense systems in the coming weeks. The Ukrainian armed forces, in turn, demanded additional missiles for the Atacms artillery system, which have a range of up to 250 kilometers.
In an interview with the WSJ, US military officials pointed out that this support for Kiev would significantly deplete their own arsenals. The US government is therefore asking its allies to deliver weapons from their warehouses to Ukraine.
Zelenskyi wants to expand drone production
Zelensky announced the expansion of drone production in the domestic arms industry. "Drones of different types, for different tasks, which not only help the front line, but also hit Russia at ever greater depths. We will expand this," he said.
Earlier, army chief Olexander Syrskyj had already referred to the successes of the Ukrainian drone force. "In October, more than 52,000 enemy targets were destroyed and damaged by drone combat missions," Syrskyj wrote on Facebook. Among other things, 129 artillery systems of the Russian armed forces and 221 radio stations were destroyed, and around 4,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded. Syrskyj's statements could not be independently verified.
"The technology of unmanned systems is developing rapidly and we have to be one step ahead of the enemy," concluded Syrskyj. Some time ago, the Ukrainian military leadership declared the development and construction of all types of drones to be a top priority. Among other things, the drone force was created as a separate type of weapon. According to official figures, the Ukrainian defense industry had already built and delivered over one million drones by mid-September.
