Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the U.S. and European allies to make “strong decisions” at the upcoming NATO summit after Russia bombarded Kyiv with missiles and drones in the early hours of Monday morning.

At least 15 people have been killed in the Ukrainian capital, according to the head of Kyiv’s military administration. Eight more were killed in the wider Kyiv region, and at least 56 people have been injured overall.

Russia launched ”68 missiles and 351 attack drones,” Zelensky said , with damage reported “at more than 10 locations across the city, including residential buildings.”

Zelensky argued that an “insufficient supply” of U.S.-made interceptors had made it difficult for Ukraine to adequately defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles.

“It is critically important that the world—first and foremost the United States and our European partners—come out of the NATO Summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of our air defense, and thus the protection of ordinary people’s lives,” he urged. “As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings.”

Making a public appeal ahead of the two-day summit launching in Turkey on Tuesday, Zelensky insisted: “The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the assault as a “horrific cannonade of loud explosions” and likewise urged NATO leaders to prioritize Ukraine’s air defenses.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the “massive attack” was in retaliation for Ukrainian strikes inside Russia. Ukraine has stepped up its drone attacks on oil refineries, with reports indicating Russia has now entered a summer fuel crisis .

The overnight attack comes just days after Russia launched a deadly assault on Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday morning, killing at least 31 people and injuring more than 80. The strikes were the deadliest assault on the city this year.

Speaking among the ruins of a damaged building last week, Zelensky had thanked European partners for their assistance, but raised concerns about the speed of U.S. aid.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen led the condemnation of the most recent attack and reaffirmed the bloc’s focus. “Ukraine urgently needs more air defense. We will discuss it this week in Ankara at the NATO Summit,” she vowed .

Last week, the E.U. released the first installment of its €6 billion ($6.8 billion) defense package to support drone procurement as part of the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan . Von der Leyen added that “more is coming very soon.”

She also said the European Union is preparing another sanctions package against Russia in order to “keep increasing the pressure until Russia ends the bloodshed.”

Meanwhile, Trump is set to meet Zelensky at the NATO summit to discuss ways to end the war that has stretched on for more than four years.

On Saturday, while extending his best wishes to the U.S. in honor of its Independence Day, Zelensky said he had shared a “very good phone call” with Trump.

They discussed the “current situation on the frontline as well as our diplomatic efforts,” he relayed, adding that there is “a real prospect to put an end to this war, and America’s resolve is decisive.”

Media has reached out to the White House for comment.

Read More: Trump Says It’s ‘Ridiculous’ for U.S. to Maintain Current NATO Support as Rift Widens Ahead of Summit

Trump also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, for nearly 90 minutes, and reportedly offered to help find a way to end the war.

According to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, Trump ” reaffirmed his readiness to facilitate an early termination of the hostilities and the search for peaceful solutions to the crisis.”

He described the conversation as “business-like,” stating that both leaders noted the importance of U.S.-Russia economic and political relations.

On Monday, when asked about the latest strikes on Ukraine, Trump said he thinks Putin “does feel pressure” to end the conflict.

“[Putin] wants to end it, and Ukraine wants to end it, and we’re in talks, and we’ll see if we can get it ended,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.

“I think we’re getting much closer [to end the war] than people realize,” Trump continued . “We’re going to NATO, and we’re going to be talking about it, and I think we’re going to get it ended.”

David Galbreath, a professor of war and technology at the University of Bath, tells the media that while European allies are likely hoping Trump will adopt a more collaborative approach on Ukraine, ongoing tensions between the U.S. President and NATO allies could complicate matters at the two-day summit.

“[Trump] has expressed to his NATO allies that he’s really disappointed that they didn’t come to his aid or the United States’ aid over Iran or over the Strait of Hormuz,” he notes.

Read More: Hegseth Announces Review of U.S. Troops in Europe and Scolds NATO Allies Over ‘Shameful’ Response to Iran War

Meanwhile, Ukraine continued its strikes against Russia’s oil infrastructure on Monday—a key part of Zelensky’s broader strategy of increasing economic pressure on Moscow in an effort to force Russia back to the negotiating table.

Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said it targeted two major oil refineries inside Russia, as well as an oil products terminal in Russian-occupied Crimea . Separately, Ukraine’s Security Service said it had struck an oil-loading terminal at Vysotsk, the Yaroslavl Oil Refinery, and additional military facilities in Crimea.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday it had intercepted 613 aerial targets across the country.

Galbreath says the Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries could prove effective because “economic pain does bring people to the negotiating table.”

Sustained damage to the Russian economy, and the stress put “on the everyday Russian, who may otherwise not be experiencing the war itself,” could eventually pressure supporters of the Kremlin to favor negotiations, but Galbreath warns it also carries the risk of further escalation.

Russia is seeking “to punish Ukraine as much as possible, so that actually when [they] get back to the negotiating table, [they] have as much leverage as possible,” he argues.

বাংলাদেশ সময়: ৮:৫৪:১৮   ১৭ বার পঠিত