Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has once more called on the international community to supply heavy weapons. Both in a video conference with the Polish head of state Andrzej Duda on Saturday and in a video message broadcast on Sunday night, he called for fighter planes and tanks for the Ukrainian armed forces. Meanwhile, Mariupol’s mayor, Vadym Boychenko, reported on the “heroic struggle” once morest the Russian attackers who wanted to wipe out his city.
“Ukraine cannot shoot down Russian missiles with shotguns and machine guns,” Zelenskyy said, underscoring the demand for heavy weapons. He warned that otherwise the Russian military might pose a later threat to NATO’s neighbors.
Some time ago, Poland hinted at a possible indirect transfer of its Soviet MiG-29 fighter jets to the Ukrainian armed forces. In order not to hand over the jets directly to Ukraine, the aircraft should first be handed over to the US armed forces. This proposal was rejected by the USA. Such a measure might lead to a direct confrontation between NATO forces and the Russian military, which might lead to an escalation of the war, the reasoning said. “In order to fight at eye level with the enemy’s forces in the airspace, you need both quantitative and technological upgrades,” said the Ukrainian Air Force leadership, underpinning the call for fighter jets. “We’re closing the airspace ourselves, just give us some guns.”
KEYSTONE