According to President Zelensky, the Russian attack on Ukraine is only the beginning. Russia plans to attack more countries. The Ukraine therefore also sees itself as a protective shield for Europe.
According to its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia is using Ukraine as a testing ground for possible further attacks against other European countries. “Russia is testing everything in Ukraine that can be used against other European countries,” said Zelenskyy in his video address. “It started with gas wars and ended with a full-scale invasion, rocket terror and the burning of Ukrainian cities.”
Ukraine must also defeat Russia so that other countries are safe, Zelenskyj said. “The quicker this happens, the less harm and suffering all European families, all European countries will experience.”
Around five months after the start of the war, the Ukrainian head of state once again expressed his gratitude for the HIMARS multiple rocket launchers supplied by the USA. At the same time he insisted on the preservation of air defense systems. There are already agreements with international partners, but in view of the Russian attacks “a completely different speed and a completely different level of protection” are required, said Zelenskyj.
Russia announced it would expand its military operations beyond Donbass in response to Western arms shipments to Ukraine. In the future, it will also be about the regions of Cherson and Zaporizhia further to the west, as well as “a number of other areas,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian media.
Peace talks with Ukraine “make no sense at this point,” Lavrov said. The first talks with Ukraine have shown that Kyiv is not ready “to discuss anything seriously”.
