Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to pressure NATO allies to urgently provide the air defense systems needed to protect his country from Russia’s increasing attacks.
elchi reports that the fact that Russian missiles have struck the capital, Kyiv, twice in less than a week, hitting apartment buildings and killing more than 50 civilians, increases the urgency of Zelensky’s call for help.
The NATO Summit held in Turkey also provides an important opportunity for Zelensky to meet with US President Donald Trump.
The Ukrainian leader aims to convey to Trump that Russia’s brutal attacks are not a show of strength, but a sign of weakness, and that Vladimir Putin must be forced into negotiations for an honorable peace.
While Ukraine faces these attacks, Russia is also increasing long-range drone strikes on oil refineries and military targets within Russia.
This situation is causing severe fuel shortages and power outages within Russia.
The war is intensifying in the skies
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced that air defense systems destroyed most of the 430 Ukrainian drones launched toward the capital overnight.
However, the full extent of the damage is not yet known. Russian social media accounts feature images of people queuing for hours to buy gasoline and arguing over fuel quotas.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is calling on member states to provide the necessary support to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Rutte emphasizes that Ukraine has changed the dynamics on the battlefield, citing Kyiv’s efforts to stop Russian ground forces in the east and its drone attacks.
The need for advanced air defense systems is growing every day. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, while almost all drones were intercepted in recent attacks, no success has been achieved against ballistic missiles.
Ukraine has not been able to intercept a single ballistic missile in this attack. The number of US-made Patriot missiles capable of countering these missiles, which fly at speeds of several thousand kilometers per hour, is insufficient in Ukraine. Zelensky is calling on his European allies to hand over the Patriot missile systems they hold to Ukraine. He argues that keeping these systems in storage while civilian casualties occur is pointless, and he is also raising the option of producing equivalent systems in Ukraine with NATO support.
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