Ukraine needs more weapons, faster: Zelensky
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Zelensky said Ukraine needs new weapons and faster deliveries to confront a "very tough" situation.
KYIV (Agencies) - Ukraine needs new weapons and faster deliveries to confront a "very tough" situation of constant attacks by Russian forces in the eastern Donetsk region, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday (Jan 29).
"The situation is very tough. Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other sectors in Donetsk region - there are constant Russian attacks. There are constant attempts to break through our defences," Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
"Russia wants the war to drag on and exhaust our forces. So we have to make time our weapon. We have to speed up events, speed up supplies and open up new weapons options for Ukraine."
The General Staff of Ukraine s armed forces said earlier on Sunday that its forces repelled an attack near Blahodatne in the eastern part of the Donetsk region, while Russia s Wagner private military group said it took control of the village.
A later military statement made no mention of Blahodatne.
Zelensky issued his latest appeal for increased weapons shipments days after Germany and the United States led a list of countries agreeing to supply modern tanks.
Zelensky on Saturday said Ukraine needed the US-made ATACMS missile with a range of about 300km, which Washington has so far declined to supply. A presidential adviser said talks were under way on supplying long-range missiles and a Ukrainian air force spokesman spoke of negotiations on providing aircraft.
In his latest remarks, Zelensky s Ukraine command was committed to ensuring that "our pressure is greater than the occupiers capacity to attack" and that meant "maintaining the defence support from our partners".
"The enemy takes no account of its personnel and despite the extent of the losses is maintaining the intensity of its attacks," he said.
"Confronting this requires extraordinary resilience and a full awareness by our soldiers that in defending Donetsk region they are defending all of Ukraine."
GERMANY NOT SENDING FIGHTER JETS TO UKRAINE
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated on Sunday that Germany will not send fighter jets to Ukraine.
Scholz only just agreed on Wednesday to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and to allow other European countries to send theirs, after weeks of intense debate and mounting pressure from allies.
"I can only advise against entering into a constant bidding war when it comes to weapons systems," Scholz said in an interview with the Tagesspiegel newspaper.
"If, as soon as a decision (on tanks) has been made, the next debate starts in Germany, that doesn t come across as serious and undermines citizens confidence in government decisions."
Scholz s decision to green-light the tanks was accompanied by a US announcement that it would send 31 of its Abrams tanks.
Zelensky thanked Berlin and Washington for the move, seen as a breakthrough in efforts to support the war-torn country.
Scholz in the interview warned against raising "the risk of escalation", with Moscow already sharply condemning the tank pledges.
"There is no war between NATO and Russia. We will not allow such an escalation," he said.
The chancellor added that it was "necessary" to continue speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The last phone call between the leaders was in early December.
"I will talk to Putin by phone again," Scholz said.
"But of course it s also clear that as long as Russia continues to wage war with unabated aggression, the current situation will not change."
