Zelenskyy calls on Nato for military assistance
UKRAINE’S president has pleaded with Nato to provide his embattled nation with military assistance.
In a video address to the Nato summit in Brussels yesterday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs “military assistance without limitations” as Russia is “using its entire arsenal” against the country.
Mr Zelenskyy urged Nato to provide Ukraine with “1% of all your planes, 1% of all your tanks” but it appeared his demand would not be met.
“We can’t just buy those,” Mr Zelenskyy added. “When we will have all this, it will give us, just like you, 100% security.”
Ukraine is also in dire need of multiple launch rocket systems, antiship weapons and air defence systems, the president said. “Is it possible to survive in such a war without this?” he asked.
Mr Zelenskyy said Russia used phosphorous bombs yesterday morning, killing both adults and children.
He reminded Nato leaders that thousands of Ukrainians have died in the past month, 10 million people have left their homes, and urged Nato to give “clear answers”.
“It feels like we’re in a grey area, between the West and Russia, defending our common values,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
“This is the scariest thing during a war - not to have clear answers to requests for help.”
Mr Zelenskyy did not reiterate his request for a no-fly zone or ask to join Nato, according to a senior Biden administration official.
At the end of the summit, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance is stepping up its defences against chemical and nuclear weapons as concern mounts that Russia might use such weapons in Ukraine.
Mr Stoltenberg said Nato leaders agreed to send equipment to Ukraine to help protect it against a chemical weapons attack.
“This could include detection equipment, protection, and medical support, as well as training for decontamination and crisis management,” he told reporters.
Mr Stoltenberg said the 30 Nato allies are also boosting their own “preparedness and readiness”.
The leaders agreed to deploy four new battlegroups, which usually number from 1,000-1,500 troops, to Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
Four other battlegroups are stationed in the Baltic States and Poland.
Nato nations are concerned that Russia’s attempt to falsely accuse them of working on chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine is part of a ruse by Moscow to create a pretext for using such arms itself.
Both sides claimed to have inflicted more blows. Ukraine’s navy said it sank a ship that had been used to resupply the Russian campaign with armoured vehicles.
Russia claimed to have taken a town, Izyum, in eastern Ukraine after heavy fighting.
But in many areas, Ukrainian forces appear to have battled Russian troops to a stalemate, an outcome that seemed unlikely when Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashed his invasion force.
Determined to make Mr Putin change course, and under intense pressure from Mr Zelenskyy to do more, Western nations said more help is on the way for Ukraine.
European Union nations signed off on another 500 million euros in military aid.
And US President Joe Biden is expected to discuss new sanctions on Russia, along with more military aid for Ukraine, with Nato members.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson was accused by the Kremlin of being the most active anti-Russian leader as he announced fresh sanctions and urged a targeting of Mr Putin’s gold reserves.
Downing Street said the Prime Minister was instead “among the most active anti-Putin leaders”.
Mr Johnson had committed a new package of 6,000 more missiles and announced sanctions against a further 65 individuals and entities.
Among those hit with travel bans and asset freezes were the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organisation accused of plotting to assassinate Mr Zelenskyy.
Speaking to broadcasters after landing in Belgium’s capital, Mr Johnson said: “We’ve got to tighten the economic vice around Putin, sanctioning more people today, as we are, sanctioning the Wagner Group, looking at what we can do to stop Putin using his gold reserves, and also doing more to help the Ukrainians defend themselves.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by the state-owned RIA news agency as saying: “As for Mr Johnson, we see him as the most active participant in the race to be anti-Russian. It will lead to a foreign policy dead end.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman firmly denied Mr Johnson being “anti-Russian”.
He said: “We have no issue with the Russian people and in fact we have seen many bravely protest – not least (jailed opposition leader) Alexei Navalny – against Putin’s regime and call on them to cease this war.”