Zelenskyy used the assault to plead for extra navy help from Ukraine’s allies.
“There are not any delays in Russian missiles, as in help packages to our state,” he stated. Shahed drones “would not have indecision, like some politicians. You will need to perceive the price of delays and delayed selections,” Zelenskyy stated.
EU leaders at a summit on Thursday disagreed over European financing of weapons for Ukraine. They requested the European Fee to “discover all choices for mobilizing funding and report again by June.” There are comparable delays in Washington, the place a $60 billion navy help invoice has been held up for months by political haggling within the U.S. Congress.
“Patriot programs should defend Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, air protection is required to guard folks, infrastructure, homes and dams,” Zelenskyy implored. “The companions know precisely what is required. They’ll positively help it,” he added.
The in a single day assault was the second large assault towards Ukraine in fast succession after a number of months of respite. It got here quickly after a gathering of the Ukraine Protection Contact Group at Germany’s Ramstein air base and a go to by U.S. Nationwide Safety Adviser Jake Sullivan to Kyiv.
On the identical time, Washington has requested Ukraine to halt drone strikes on Russia’s oil refineries, out of worry of driving up crude oil costs and scary retaliation, based on a report by the FT. Moscow attacked Ukraine’s power infrastructure all through 2023, earlier than Kyiv efficiently struck a number of oil refineries in Russia, inflicting monetary harm to the Kremlin which nonetheless trades oil and gasoline regardless of sanctions.
Ukrhydroenergo, operator of the Dnipro hydropower plant, stated the state of affairs on the station “is below management” following the assault.
“Russians are attempting to create a brand new ecological catastrophe, cynically hitting the hydroelectric services and the dam,” Ukrhydroenergo stated in an announcement.