After Russia fired missiles at a number of Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, US President Joe Biden assured his counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the US would give Ukraine modern air defence systems.
Prior to an urgent meeting of the Group of Seven to discuss support for Ukraine and how to hold Russia “responsible” for the assaults, which claimed at least 14 lives, Biden made the commitment during a phone chat with Zelenskyy.
According to a White House statement about the phone call, “President Biden committed to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to protect itself, including cutting-edge air defence equipment.”
In the attacks on Monday, Russia’s defence ministry claimed that it had targeted “military command and communication facilities and energy infrastructure,” while Ukraine said that Moscow had bombed residential areas randomly.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia launched 84 missiles at 10 cities, 56 of which were intercepted by air defences.
The Russian assaults came after an explosion on Saturday that destroyed a portion of the vital Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia with the annexation of Crimea. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has attributed the explosion to Ukraine.
According to Justin Crump, chief executive of security consultancy Sibylline, “Russia is attempting to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences.” They have experimented with that throughout the war, but never on this scale.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the United States has given the country security aid totaling more than $16.8 billion.
Zelenskyy is scheduled to address the G7 leaders at the opening of the virtual conference on Tuesday at 12:00 GMT. Analysts predict that he will request additional surface-to-air missiles to bolster Ukraine’s air defences.
The G7 leaders’ meeting on Tuesday is the first one since Kyiv launched a counteroffensive in recent weeks that allowed it to retake substantial portions of its territory from Russia in the east and south of the country.
“The overwhelming international support for Ukraine’s struggle stands in stark opposition to the isolation of Russia on the international stage,” she will say.
“Their bravery in the face of the most brutal acts of violence has earned the people of Ukraine global admiration.
“Nobody wants peace more than Ukraine. And for our part, we must not waver one iota in our resolve to help them win it.”
