Russian war of aggression
War against Ukraine: This is the situation
The Ukrainian 152mm Dana self-propelled howitzer fires at Russian positions in the Donetsk region. photo
© Roman Chop/AP/dpa
The lack of US military aid is putting Ukraine in further distress when it comes to defending against Russia’s war of aggression. The president surprises with a proposal. The events at a glance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has shown himself open to offering future US weapons aid on credit. “We will accept any option,” Zelensky said in an interview on Ukrainian television. The USA is the country’s most important military ally, with arms aid totaling the equivalent of 40 billion euros Ukraine in its defense against the Russian war of aggression.
However, further arms aid is currently on hold due to a domestic political dispute between Democrats and Republicans in the US Parliament. As a result, Ukraine has fallen behind on the battlefield and is losing ground against the Russian occupying forces.
According to Zelensky, there is no choice for Ukraine: it must accept every offer in order to win and survive. If he had to decide whether he would get the package on credit now or for free in a year, he would immediately take it on credit, said the Ukrainian head of state.
The idea of providing Ukraine with the weapons on credit came from former US President Donald Trump, who is aiming to return to the White House in November. His party, the Republicans, has been blocking the release of an arms package worth $60 billion to Ukraine for months.
Zelensky on anti-aircraft defense and protection of Kharkiv
The Ukrainian president also commented on other explosive topics in the interview. In his view, the country needs two dozen Patriot air defense systems to protect its own airspace against Russian missile and drone attacks. In order to seal off the airspace, 25 systems, each with 6 to 8 batteries, are needed, said Zelensky.
“All of our partners know this very well, they even know the points where the corresponding systems should be placed.” According to him, Patriots and analogous Western anti-aircraft systems – including the German Iris-T – have proven themselves excellently. He also warned of a deficit in anti-aircraft ammunition if Russia continued its air strikes at the same rate.
However, Zelensky ruled out a conquest of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv by Russian troops. “Kharkiv is protected today,” the president said. He acknowledged that the city remains vulnerable to air strikes, but he was completely confident about the area’s defense on the ground. According to him, the fortifications built by Ukraine are largely finished not only in Kharkiv, but also in large parts of the front and border areas.
Dead and injured civilians on both sides
According to official reports, at least five civilians have been killed by Russian artillery fire in the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Donetsk region. The responsible public prosecutor’s office said there was a minor among the victims in the Pokrovsk district. Two people were also injured. Residential buildings in several towns were hit. Pokrovsk County is located just a few kilometers from the front, west of Donetsk.
On the other hand, the authorities in the regional capital Donetsk, which is occupied by Russian troops, reported eleven injured by Ukrainian shelling. Two children were among the injured, wrote the head of the Russian-annexed Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin, on his Telegram channel. Nine residential buildings in different parts of the city were damaged. According to Pushilin, in addition to the city of Donetsk, the cities of Makiivka and Horlivka, which are also controlled by the Russian military, were also attacked.
Drone explodes over Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
The Russian power plant management of the occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia has reported the explosion of a drone over the dome of the sixth reactor. On its Telegram channel, the factory management blamed the Ukrainian army for the attack. However, there were no injuries or dangerous damage, it was said. The radiation in and around the largest nuclear power plant in Europe corresponds to the norm.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had been notified of a drone explosion over the plant. This corresponds to the perceptions of the IAEA representatives on site. On the social network
Lavrov is traveling to Beijing for talks – Ukraine is also an issue
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov plans to discuss the war in Ukraine and other burning issues with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during a visit to Beijing scheduled for Tuesday. This was announced by the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. Accordingly, Lavrov’s trip should begin on Monday. The negotiations will cover a variety of issues, including the situation in the Asia-Pacific region and the cooperation of both countries in international organizations such as the UN, Brics and G20. Lavrov and Wang Yi last met in Beijing in October and before that in Moscow in September.
China has been trying for a long time to find a peace solution to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In March, Ukrainian leaders and officials in Kiev again sought support for a solution to Russia’s war of aggression at a meeting with Chinese special envoy Li Hui. China is considered a close ally of Russia and emphasizes its neutrality in the conflict. Beijing had itself proposed a peace plan, but it was met with criticism in Kiev.
Ukraine insists that only President Volodymyr Zelensky’s plan will be implemented. The core of Zelensky’s actions is the demand for a withdrawal of Russian troops from all occupied areas of Ukraine. Only then will Kiev want to negotiate peaceful coexistence with Moscow. Russia rejects Zelensky’s plan as “unrealistic”.