Ukraine’s Zelensky pleas for Patriot missiles, membership of EU, NATO

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again pleaded for more air defenses, particularly the Patriot system, and Kiev’s accession to the European Union and the US-led military alliance NATO.

Zelensky made the call during a nightly video address on Sunday as Ukraine’s army leader admitted that his country’s position on the battlefield in the east has worsened as Kiev awaits the arrival of US weapons.

Zelensky said he had spoken with US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and thanked Congress for approving the $61 billion aid package after months of delay, but added that Kiev was working with all partners to hurry up and deliver weapons.

“We are still waiting for the supplies Ukraine was promised,” he said, adding, “We are expecting those volumes and scope that can change the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine’s interests.”

He further said, “In my conversation with Mr. Jeffries, I underscored that Patriot systems are needed, and as soon as possible.”

On Kiev’s accession to the EU, Zelensky said Ukraine had met all conditions for accession talks to begin, “and now the EU must meet its obligations.”

Ukraine signed an application for EU membership in February 2022. The country was granted a candidate status at an EU summit in Brussels in June 2022.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Zelensky noted that Kiev should be invited to join NATO.

Every country that shares common values and is ready to defend them “deserves an invitation to the alliance,” he said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this month that Ukraine would join the alliance eventually.

Russia launched what it calls “a special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, over the perceived threat of the ex-Soviet republic joining NATO. Since then, the United States and Ukraine’s other allies have sent Kiev tens of billions of dollars’ worth of weapons, including rocket systems, drones, armored vehicles, tanks, and communication systems.

Western countries have also imposed a slew of economic sanctions on Moscow. The Kremlin has said the sanctions and the Western military assistance will only prolong the war.

Interfax says Russian forces capture village in Donetsk

Interfax news agency reports Russian troops gained control of a village in Donetsk, marking another victory for Moscow.

Despite the West’s unwavering support for Ukraine, Russia’s troops have been scoring rapid successes on the battlefield.

Russia’s defense ministry said on Sunday its troops had captured the village of Novobakhmutivka in the Donetsk region, about 10 kilometers north of Avdiivka, which they took control of in February.

‘Russian strikes kill 14 foreign mercenaries’

Also on Sunday, Russia launched strikes at Riviera and Helen hotels in Mykolaiv (Nikolaev), where foreign mercenaries hired by Ukraine are staying, killing 14 of them and injuring eight others, according to Sputnik News.

“The eight injured were hospitalized … They are being accommodated separately from others. Two are in a serious condition and six have been stabilized. Resistance saw at least 14 dead people being transported to the morgue,” Sergei Lebedev, the coordinator of resistance forces, told Sputnik.

According to the report, the hotels are being guarded by the Ukrainian armed forces.

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