Ukraine War: Zelenskiy calls for more air defense help against Russia

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, refuted claims on Saturday that the conflict with Russia had reached a “stalemate” and insisted that additional cooperation with allies was required to fortify air defences. His remarks were made a few days after General Valery Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine, stated in an article that the conflict was entering a new phase of static and attritional fighting, one that would allow Moscow to regain military might. “Time has passed today, and people are worn out. However, Zelenskiy clarified during a press conference with visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that “this is not a deadlock.” “The sky belongs to Russia. Our military is important to us.” In the twenty-first month of the war, Zelenskiy admitted that there had been setbacks and that Kyiv had not yet achieved any significant victories in its counteroffensive. However, he claimed that Ukrainian forces were forced to fight on and that they needed greater assistance from their Western allies, particularly with air defences. In a counteroffensive that started in the east and south in early June, Ukrainian forces have made slow progress through extensive Russian minefields, but Russia has retaliated severely in the east. The Ukrainian military reported in its daily update that Russian troops were carrying out multiple attacks close to Avdiivka, Lyman, and Mariinka in the eastern Donetsk region. The report also stated that Ukrainian forces were still moving southeastward towards the Sea of Azov. (With agency inputs)