All airfields from which Russia attacks Ukraine must be destroyed - Zelenskyy
Photo: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has once again called on the West to authorize strikes on Russian territory. This is necessary to ensure that all airfields from which Russia attacks Ukraine are destroyed, according to the inaugural plenary session of the European Political Community Summit.
“I appeal to all of you, to all leaders who can contribute to the required bravery. These steps (to authorize strikes against Russia - ed.) must be taken. And I address primarily the United States, the UK, France, Germany, and Poland and other friends – your bravery can be decisive for peace,” he assures.
According to him, the military airfields from which Russian planes take off with bombs on Ukrainian cities, children, and Russian missile launch sites must be destroyed.
“This will not only eliminate some targets but will also reduce Russia’s capability to continue this war. The missiles and drones are not “bearers of state sovereignty”, so there must be a collective will, collective will to shoot them down – just as it was with Iranian missiles and drones,” he continues.
Zelenskyy also cites the example of the effectiveness of strikes against Russia in the Kharkiv region, because, in his opinion, “the reality on the battlefield is more convincing than any abstract deliberations.”
“The reality on the battlefield is more convincing than any abstract deliberations. We have stopped the Russian advance on Kharkiv. Period. Putin has sacrificed tens of thousands of his citizens but has achieved nothing significant. This was made possible by the bravery of our warriors and the bravery of our partners, who have lifted limitations on the use of Western weapons along our border. Did this lead to escalation? No. On the contrary, it blocked Putin’s attempt to expand the war. Did Putin have any response? No,” he says.
Even when Russian missiles hit Okhmatdyt, targeting children with cancer, the president said it only demonstrated the evil that Russia has been showing since the beginning of the war, and therefore, in his opinion, we must act with maximum courage to achieve results.
“We can steer this war towards its just ending with the power of our weapons and our diplomacy, and we should not fear these capabilities. The more effective our air defense is, the more helpless Putin will be. The fewer restrictions we have on the use of effective weapons, the more Russia will seek peace,” Zelenskyy assures.
Russian offensive in Kharkiv region
On May 10, Russian troops launched a new offensive in the Kharkiv region - in the Vovchansk direction, near the villages of Lyptsi and Hlyboke.
As previously stated by Pentagon Secretary Lloyd Austin, the advance of the Russian occupiers in the north of the Kharkiv region slowed down after some of Ukraine's allies allowed strikes on Russian territory.
In addition, according to AR, the Russians were preparing an even bigger offensive on the Kharkiv region, concentrating about 90,000 soldiers on their territory. However, thanks to the US authorization for strikes with American weapons on Russian territory, the new offensive was thwarted.
