‘We must defeat Russian terror’: Zelensky renews call for stronger air defenses
Ukrainian gunners of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Roman the Great fire at the enemy with BM 21 “Grad” MLRS at a position near the city of Kupyansk, Kharkiv Region, on April 18, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Anatoly Stepanov | Afp | Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday renewed his push for Western allies to boost his country’s air defenses, saying the missile interception capability has been proven in the Middle East, “and it should also work in Europe.”
His comments came shortly after a major Russian missile attack was reported to have killed at least eight people in the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk.
“Every country that provides air defense systems to Ukraine, every leader who helps convince our partners that air defense systems should not be stored in warehouses but deployed in real cities and communities facing terror, and everyone who supports our defense saves us lives”. Zelensky he said through the X social media platform.
“We must defeat Russian terrorism. It is necessary not only for our country and Ukrainians, but for the whole world,” he added.
— Sam Meredith
Ukraine says 8 killed in major Russian attack in Dnipropetrovsk region
Rescue operations were underway Friday in the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk after a major Russian attack was reported to have killed at least eight people.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko he said via Telegram that a five-story residential building and objects of civil infrastructure were damaged in the city of Dnipro due to the strikes. Two people died and 16 were injured, Klimenko said.
The fires were extinguished after the strikes damaged more than a dozen private buildings in the town of Synelnykove, where six people died and two others were injured, Klymenko said, according to statements translated by Google.
CNBC was unable to independently verify developments on the ground.
— Sam Meredith
Russia could be ready to attack NATO in 5-8 years, says German official
Russia could be ready to attack NATO in five to eight years, a top German military official said, according to Reuters.
Lt. Gen. Carsten Breuer told reporters that Moscow could be ready to attack members of the Western military alliance once it rebuilds its forces depleted by the war in Ukraine.
“By then, based on our analysis, Russia (will have) rebuilt its own forces to the extent that an attack on NATO soil is possible,” he told reporters during a visit to Poland on Wednesday, the Reuters.
“I’m not saying it will happen, but that it could happen,” he said. “What we see is a threat in five to eight years.”
President Vladimir Putin has dismissed concerns that NATO could be directly targeted by Russia, but has often warned that the country and its nuclear arsenal are ready to deploy if it perceives its sovereignty to have been breached.
A DPR army fighter is seen in front of the tank as Russian attacks continue in Mariupol, Ukraine on May 4, 2022.
Leon Klein | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Russian defense spending and production of military hardware have soared as the country tries to supply its forces to Ukraine in the coming years, but Breuer said Russia also appears to be holding back on military equipment.
“We see that Russia is producing a lot of war material and not putting all that material on the front line in Ukraine … so in 2029 we have to be ready,” Breuer said.
— Holly Elliott
Ukraine steps up diplomatic efforts amid calls for emergency air defense
Ukraine’s top officials are stepping up calls for emergency air defenses and weapons amid a flurry of high-profile meetings and summits.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on the sidelines of the Group of Seven foreign ministers’ meeting in Capri on Thursday. Cottage said on the X social networking platform that he detailed their “joint global efforts to bring more Patriot air defense systems and missiles to Ukraine as soon as possible.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (R) take part in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting on the island of Capri, April 18, 2024.
Gregorio Borgia Afp | Getty Images
Kuleba said the officials had “both emphasized the urgency for the US Congress to pass the supplementary aid package for Ukraine” worth about $61 billion.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmykhal said he had also met with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday, declaring to X that “we are counting on the rapid unblocking of the aid package for Ukraine in Congress, including financial assistance.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Wednesday that Russian forces are gaining the upper hand in the war because Ukraine lacks the weapons and air defense systems it needs.
“The Russian military feels its strength in almost everything related to the armed component. And it is precisely because of that strength – in the artillery, in the equipment, in the ability to operate in the sky – that they are putting pressure on us on the front and are gradually advancing,” he told the leaders. of the EU via video link.
“Putin now hopes that he will succeed in his counterattack, and the only root of that hope is the lack of weapons among our soldiers,” he said.
Zelensky said Kiev was working with the US “to get the right decision by Congress on the US support package” and asked European leaders to “engage in communication with our American partners so that their support actually takes place”.
— Holly Elliott