A lack of air defenses left Ukraine powerless to prevent a Russian airstrike last week that destroyed the Kiev region's biggest power plant, President Volodomyr Zelensky said.
Russia fired 11 missiles at the Trypilska plant, according to the head of state. Ukrainian air defenses shot down the first seven missiles, but the next four completely destroyed the plant.
“Why? Because we didn't have any missiles. We ran out of missiles,” Zelensky told PBS NewsHour, in an interview that aired on Monday (15).
He has repeatedly warned allies that Ukraine's air defenses are dangerously weak as Russia recently restarted its attack on the country's energy infrastructure.
Yet a desperately needed U.S. military aid package was blocked for months by House Republicans in the U.S. Congress.
Zelensky puts pressure on aid to Israel
Zelenksy stressed that Iran's failed attack on Israel demonstrated that Western countries were capable of protecting their allies' airspace.
Iran fired more than 300 projectiles at Israel in an unprecedented attack over the weekend, which was thwarted with the help of air defenses from the US, UK, France and Jordan.
“Israel, by itself, would not be able to protect itself against such a numerous and powerful attack. And they definitely used air defense and aviation, a lot of things that, frankly speaking, Ukraine lacks,” she assessed.
The president questioned why Israel has enjoyed such comprehensive support from members of NATO, the Western military alliance, despite not being a member of the bloc.
“Israel is not a NATO country. NATO allies, including NATO countries, have defended Israel. They showed Iranian forces that Israel was not alone. And this is a lesson,” she commented.
“This is a response to anyone on any continent who says that we need to help Ukraine very carefully so as not to involve NATO countries in the war,” he added.
Aid packages
Allies approved aid packages for Ukraine, but the main portion of US funding, totaling around $60 billion, was not put to a vote in the US Congress by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Johnson signaled on Monday (15) that, by the end of the week, he would present a reworked Ukraine funding bill to the House plenary, which would be separate from funding bills for Israel and Taiwan.
However, there are still doubts whether the text will be approved, as Johnson faces opposition within his own party.
Zelensky called the bill's split “strange” and “pure politics.”
“Nobody cares how many people die in Ukraine every day. They only care about their approval ratings. That's what it's all about. But forget that the dead don’t care about classifications”, highlighted Zelensky.
“The people in Congress [dos EUA] they need to think twice before promoting these political issues when it comes to supporting Ukraine and voting in favor of all the countries whose lives depend on it”, he added.
Zelensky repeated his warnings that Ukraine risks losing the war if the US does not approve military aid.
“I can say, frankly, that without this support we will have no chance of winning,” he warned.
He concluded that Russia enjoys a 10-to-one advantage in terms of artillery shells. “To defend 100% of what is under our control, we would need to go from one to comparing numbers, 10-10,” he concluded.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
