Situation at a glance: Selenskyj seeks further US support

After the NATO summit in Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is continuing to seek support for his country in the USA. At a meeting with governors of US states in Salt Lake City (US state of Utah), he explored possibilities for deepening relations between Ukraine and the USA, Zelensky wrote on the X platform. “I thank you for your willingness to support Ukraine in the future, to expand cooperation between our defense companies and to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine.”

Ukraine does not need foreign soldiers, Zelensky said in his speech to the governors. “The only thing we are asking for is sufficient support – anti-aircraft systems for our cities, weapons for the men and women on the front lines, help in protecting normal life and reconstruction.”

The USA has been Ukraine’s strongest supporter so far. Most recently, Congress approved a billion-dollar package initiated by President Joe Biden, which will provide Kyiv with further, urgently needed military aid. The Ukrainian military had previously had to abandon numerous positions and withdraw due to a lack of ammunition, among other things. There is currently a stalemate on the fronts in the south and east of the country.

Kyiv: Attacks not for the sake of attacks

Ukraine does not want to carry out attacks in the Russian hinterland or on Russian territory just for the sake of attacks. It is not about symbolic individual strikes, said Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser in the presidential office of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“It is about the systematic destruction of air bases where strategic aviation is stationed,” he said. The latter is deliberately carrying out massive strikes against the civilian population and civilian objects in Ukraine.

Podolyak also made it clear that Ukraine does not want to indiscriminately attack targets in Russia. “The correct strategy is to weaken Russia in three ways: increasing the cost of the war, destroying logistics and extending the time needed to get resources to the battlefield,” Podolyak wrote on Telegram.

The background to this is the debate about the possible use of heavy Western weapons systems against targets on Russian territory. The Ukrainian leadership has long been asking its Western partners for permission to do so.

So far, cruise missiles have only been allowed to attack targets in the occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea, as well as in the east of the country and in the Russian border region. So far, Ukraine has only been able to use drones with significantly lower explosive power against targets deep in Russian territory.

Deaths in Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine

According to official reports, at least five people have been killed in a series of Russian attacks on smaller towns in eastern Ukraine. At least 13 people were seriously injured in the attacks on Myrnohrad and Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, said regional military administrator Vadim Filashkin.

According to Filashkin, Russian soldiers have repeatedly shelled Myrnohrad in particular in recent days. The town, which is close to the front, had a population of just under 47,000 before the war began. There were strikes on Friday next to an administrative building and at a public transport stop.

Defense ministers of Moscow and the USA talk on the phone

In view of possible new tensions, the Russian and US defense ministers held a short telephone conversation. “The issue of preventing security threats and reducing the risk of possible escalation was discussed,” the Russian defense ministry said of the conversation between ministers Andrei Belousov and Lloyd Austin. The US minister emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication.

No reason was given for the conversation. However, it was announced on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington that the USA wants to station weapons systems in Germany again from 2026 that have a range as far as Russia.

These include Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, which technically can also be equipped with nuclear weapons, as well as SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles and newly developed hypersonic weapons. Russia and China reacted angrily to the announcement.

Report: Zelenskyj makes a stopover in Ireland

On his return journey from the USA, Zelensky is reportedly scheduled to make a stopover in Ireland this Saturday. He will meet Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris, the broadcaster RTÉ reported. The British Guardian also reported that Zelensky will probably attend the fourth summit of the European Political Community (EPC) in Blenheim Palace near Oxford, which begins on Thursday. The EPC aims to improve cooperation between the EU and non-EU countries in Europe. According to the Guardian, the European heads of state and government want to talk about Ukraine, European security and democracy.