Zelenskyy Urges Global Allies To Boost Ukraine's Air Defences At Key Meeting In Germany

Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on his international allies to increase their support for Ukraine's air defence systems, especially against Russian missiles, guided bombs, and aircraft. He made this appeal ahead of an important meeting this week in Germany, where representatives from dozens of countries will gather at Ramstein Air Base. Zelenskyy stressed the need to strengthen Ukraine's defences during his nightly address on Saturday. "We will discuss this with our partners and continue to persuade them. The task remains unchanged: strengthening our air defence," he said.

The meeting, scheduled for Thursday, will also include US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. It was originally planned for October but was delayed after Hurricane Milton impacted Florida. In addition to the air defence talks, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukrainian forces have been continuing their operations in Russia's Kursk region. Both sides reported new clashes, marking an ongoing escalation in the conflict.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian shelling killed at least one person and injured another, according to local authorities.

Zelenskyy Concerned Over Future Of US Support

The meeting comes as Ukraine faces a difficult situation on the battlefield, with Russia controlling roughly one-fifth of the country. Despite suffering significant troop and equipment losses, Russia has made slow but steady advances, particularly in the eastern areas. Ukraine is in urgent need of more military support from its Western partners to strengthen its defences.

Zelenskyy also addressed political developments in the United States. With the upcoming swearing-in of President-elect Donald Trump on January 20, there are concerns over the future of US support for Ukraine. Trump has previously stated that he could end the war in a single day, raising questions about whether the United States will continue to be Ukraine's most significant military backer.

In Ukraine's incursion in the Kursk region, Zelenskyy said Russian and North Korean troops had suffered heavy losses in fighting in Russia's Kursk region.

“In battles yesterday and today near just one village, Makhnovka, in the Kursk region, the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian paratroopers,” he said. “This is significant,” Zelenskyy said last month that 3,000 North Korean troops had been killed or wounded in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces launched an incursion in August, dealing a blow to Russia's prestige and forcing it to deploy some of its troops from eastern Ukraine.

The incursion didn't significantly change the dynamic of the war, and military analysts say Ukraine has lost around 40 per cent of the land it initially captured.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Sunday that Ukraine launched a fresh offensive in the Kursk region. It claimed its forces pushed back Ukrainian troops, but some reports from Russian military bloggers indicated that Moscow's forces faced significant pressure.

A ministry statement said Ukrainian forces attacked at about 9 am local time (0600 GMT, 1 am EST) near the village of Berdin with two tanks, a mine-clearing vehicle and 12 armored combat vehicles with paratroopers. Two Ukrainian attacks were repelled, it said.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak said there was “good news” from Kursk and that Russia was “getting what it deserves,” while Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's official Centre Against Disinformation, said on Telegram that Russian troops were attacked in several places.

The Associated Press was not immediately able to verify the reports.

In other developments, local officials said one person was killed and another wounded in Russian shelling of the city of Nikopol in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region on Sunday. Downstream along the Dnieper River, at least six people were wounded when Russian troops shelled the city of Kherson, capital of the region of the same name. Settlements along the west bank of the river come under regular shelling from Russian-controlled territory on the opposite bank.

Nine people were wounded in a Russian-guided bomb attack on the border town of Semenivka in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region on Saturday evening, local officials said.

Moscow sent 103 drones into Ukraine overnight Sunday, Ukrainian officials said. According to Ukraine's air force, 61 drones were destroyed and 42 were lost, likely due to electronic jamming.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that 61 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight Sunday in western Russia. No casualties were reported but Rostov regional Gov. Yuri Slyusar said residential buildings and cars were damaged by falling drone debris.