2024-01-11 18:15:09
Zelensky warns that any stop to the war will help Moscow re-arm and “crush us”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Thursday that “any pause” by his country in defending itself against the Russian invasion will help Moscow rearm and “crush us.” His statements came upon his arrival in Estonia, his second stop in the Baltic states, during which he was warmly received by Foreign Minister Margus.
Zelensky intends to discuss granting Ukraine more military aid and its joining NATO and the European Union, as he did during his first stop in Lithuania on Wednesday.
Zelensky with the Estonian Prime Minister (AP)
From Tallinn, Zelensky affirmed Ukraine’s eligibility to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), indicating that its army would strengthen the alliance’s eastern flank. He stressed that the bloc would gain “an army with military experience, not theoretical but practical.”
Ukraine has expressed dissatisfaction in the past with its Western allies for not setting a timetable for its membership in NATO.
Zelensky’s statements in Estonia came as Moscow and Kiev exchanged accusations of targeting civilians with missile strikes in a major escalation in attacks, and while three countries bordering the Black Sea signed an agreement stipulating the removal of mines in their waters.
Tallinn is the second stop on his tour of the Baltic states, which strongly support his country, as part of his effort to rally support for Kiev as the second anniversary of the outbreak of war approaches. He said in a joint press conference with Estonian President Alar Karis: “Give the Russian Federation between two to three years and they will simply crush us.” “We will not take any risks… There will be no stop in the fight for Russia.” He added that a “long-term war” would not be in Ukraine’s interest either.
He said: “We must carefully watch Putin’s speech. He won’t stop. He wants to occupy us completely,” warning that if Ukraine is defeated, Russia may attack other neighboring countries, including the Baltic states, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. The three former Soviet republics are today members of NATO and the European Union and have steadfastly supported Kiev in the face of the Russian invasion.
Zelensky arrived in Tallinn at night, accompanied by his Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Estonia, which is considered one of Ukraine’s most prominent allies and a member of NATO, called for continuing to support Kiev in light of the decline of a number of its allies. “Democratic countries have done a lot to help Ukraine, and we must do more collectively to ensure Ukraine’s victory and the defeat of the aggressor,” Karis said.
Zelensky requested to obtain air defense systems that Ukraine desperately needs when he began his tour on Wednesday in Lithuania, warning that Western reluctance to provide aid to Ukraine “increases Russia’s boldness and strength.”
It is noteworthy that the Baltic countries are among the countries most supportive of Ukraine in the world. Zelensky wrote on the Telegram application: “This is more than just a visit of gratitude.” “This is a visit of confidence.” He added: “We stand together and will not lose our unity.” It is noteworthy that Zelensky has not visited Estonia since the start of the war, and he will deliver a speech before Parliament and meet members of Estonia’s political leadership. Zelensky is scheduled to then head to Latvia.
Karis, as quoted by Agence France-Presse, called for “unlimited supply of weapons to Ukraine,” noting that Kiev must be allowed to strike targets inside Russian territory using Western weapons.
Arvydas Anusauskas (right), Lithuanian Defense Minister and Sebastian Dietz, Head of the Lithuanian Defense Services, riding a Leopard 2 tank (dpa)
He said: “We must understand that attacking enemy military targets is inevitable in war; To obstruct the advance of enemy forces and weaken them.” Karis added that the European Union must increase arms production; So that Ukraine can get everything it needs “not tomorrow, but today.” “Our actions must be aimed at preventing any aggressive war in Europe in the future,” Karis said, adding that “Ukraine will have Estonia’s support as long as the war continues.”
Meeting between the Lithuanian and Ukrainian delegations in Vilnius (EPA)
He said during a joint press conference with Zelensky: Estonia will provide aid worth 1.2 billion euros to Ukraine until 2027. Karis stressed, “Within the European Union, we have already provided aid worth 5 billion euros to Ukraine.” This support must continue. Estonia’s long-term contribution will amount to one billion euros until 2027 and Ukraine needs more and better weapons,” the Ukrainian national news agency Ukrinform reported.
Earlier this month, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called on Western allies to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles to help Kiev target Russian “launch sites and command centers.” Meanwhile, local officials in Ukraine announced that two Russian missiles fell on a hotel in the city of Kharkiv. late Wednesday; As a result, 13 people were killed, including foreign journalists. Mayor Igor Terekhov said on Telegram: “There were no military personnel there.”
Thirteen people, including two foreign journalists, were injured as a result of two missile strikes on Wednesday evening on a hotel in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities announced Thursday. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement on Telegram: “13 people were injured, including two journalists from Turkish media outlets, a Turkish citizen and a Georgian citizen.” He pointed out that ten of them were transferred to the hospital. According to the mayor, the bombing was carried out with two missiles and damaged a number of other buildings, including two residential buildings.
For his part, Oleg Sinigubov, head of the regional military administration in Kharkiv, said in a post on Telegram: Two Russian S-300 missiles hit the hotel located in the Kievsky region, which had 30 civilians inside, at around 10:30 p.m.
Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, is about 30 kilometers from the Russian border and is constantly bombed. Ukrainian rescue services announced on Telegram that they had evacuated a total of 19 people and published a video clip showing rescue operations and a building whose windows were shattered.
For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed overnight that it had “destroyed” four Ukrainian drones over the regions of Tula, Kaluga, and Rostov.
Local authorities in the Voronezh region in western Russia said that a Ukrainian drone hit “the roof of a non-residential building,” without causing casualties.
Hours ago, the authorities of the Russian border city of Belgorod announced the evacuation of dozens of children after Ukrainian missile strikes led to casualties in the region. The governor of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, said on Thursday that his region was going through “difficult times” as a result of the recent Ukrainian bombing, adding that hundreds of residents, including children, had left the region’s capital after strikes that left more than 20 dead.
A destroyed car in the courtyard of an apartment building amid what Russian authorities say was a Ukrainian military strike in Belgorod (Archyde.com)
“The Belgorod region is going through difficult times,” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said during an exhibition in Moscow. He added that schools near the border have switched to distance learning due to the threat of more attacks and the destruction of homes. He continued, as quoted by the German agency: “What the people of Belgorod have endured and are still enduring, not everyone can bear physically.” He noted that “everyone is afraid, but sitting alone and being afraid alone is different from dealing with this ordeal collectively.” Children gathered at Belgorod train station on Wednesday as they prepared to leave for safer areas. He added that schools near the border have switched to distance learning due to the threat of more attacks and the destruction of homes.
Belgorod has faced increasing strikes in recent weeks. This prompted local officials to evacuate hundreds of residents and postpone the return to schools.
Since the start of its attack on Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin has stressed that the war does not affect daily life in Russia and does not threaten the safety of its citizens. However, as the Russian army resumed its intensive bombing of Ukrainian cities, Ukraine increased its strikes on Russian territory, especially targeting Belgorod.
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