Zelenskyy calls on US to allow destruction of Russian aircraft on Russian territory

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his address at the President's Fund and Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, cited the example of Kharkiv and highlighted the US decision that halted the Russian advance and constant strikes on the city.

"In May-June, we achieved an important victory; we stopped the Russian advance on Kharkiv, the second-largest Ukrainian city, located very close to the Russian border. The Russian army war ordered to go to the zone of inflicting artillery damage on Kharkiv, but the courage of our men and women, as well as the American permission to strike military targets in Russia, did their job. And am grateful to you, I am grateful to President Biden for this permission, and to everyone in the Congress who helped," said Zelenskyy.

"This Russian advance has halted, and we are pushing the Russian army out of the areas near Kharkiv. We have also destroyed the launchers of Russian missiles that were hitting Kharkiv every day for over two years. And this provided Kharkiv with protection from missile strikes," Zelenskyy stated.

He noted that if all restrictions are lifted and Ukraine is allowed to destroy Russian aircraft in Russia, this will enable Ukraine to protect other cities.

'Imagine how much we can achieve when all limitations are lifted. Similarly, now we can protect our cities from Russian guided bombs if American leadership takes a step forward and allows us to destroy Russian military airports on their bases. This will also bring immediate results, and we are waiting for this step,' said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The head of state also mentioned that Ukraine can significantly limit Russian actions in the south and push back Russians if the US helps with long-range capabilities.

"And we can significantly limit Russian actions in southern Ukraine and push the occupier out from there if American leadership assists us with the necessary long-range capabilities against the Russian army and logistics in our Ukrainian Crimea. And we are talking about this with all our partners, and all these steps will strengthen us today. The unique decision of the US and its partners to provide Ukraine with an additional five Patriot air defense systems and dozens of others, and to prioritize air defense interceptors for Ukraine. The Ukrainian people are grateful for that. Thank you so much," emphasized Zelenskyy.

Additionally, the President of Ukraine emphasized the need for leadership that acts every day.

"And now we all need this kind of leadership, which doesn't wait for any November, but acts, acts now, acts every day, strongly, so that life wins, so that our enemies such as Putin fear our actions," said the President.

During the NATO summit in Washington, US President Joe Biden announced the provision of five Patriot systems and other deliveries to Ukraine to significantly strengthen its air defense capabilities.

Earlier, it was reported on the details of new assistance to Ukraine from the US and its allies.