In his nightly video address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to Western countries to provide Ukraine with modern missile defense systems.
"After the missile strike in the Ternopil region, ten people are still in hospitals. This strike, as the vast majority of russian strikes, had no tactical or strategic sense. It's terror, just terror. Among the victims is a girl, who is 12 years old from Kharkiv. She came to the Ternopil region to escape from the russian army. These facts will now determine how russia is perceived by the world. Not Peter the First or Leo Tolstoy, but children wounded and killed by russian strikes," Zelenskyy said.
"Today is the 109th day of a full-scale war, but not the 109th day when we tell our partners a simple thing: Ukraine needs modern missile defense systems. The supply of such systems was possible this year, last year and even earlier. Have we received them? No. Do we need them? Yes. There are already 2 606 affirmative answers to this question in the form of various Russian cruise missiles that hit Ukrainian cities. Our cities, our villages since February 24. These are lives that could have been saved, the tragedies that could have been prevented if Ukraine had been listened to," the President stressed.
Zelenskyy also noted that the key tactical goal of the Russian occupiers has not changed. They are pressing in Severodonetsk, where very fierce fighting is going on, and in the direction of Lysychansk, Bakhmut, and Slovyansk.
"The russian army is trying to deploy reserve forces in Donbas. But what reserves can they have now? It looks like they will try to throw poorly trained conscripts and those gathered by covert mobilization. Russian generals see their people simply as cannon fodder they need to ensure an advantage in the quantity of personnel and equipment. And that means only one thing: russia may cross the line of 40,000 lost troops in June. In no other war in decades have they lost so many," the President emphasized.
He also said he had prepared an appeal to the American Jewish Committee. A global forum organized by the Committee began in New York today. This is one of the most influential structures, which helps promote solutions to protect Ukraine.
"I called on them to redouble their efforts to get more modern weapons, more financial support for our country so that we can end this war sooner. I will continue addressing partner countries' parliaments this week, including the Czech parliament. Talks of different levels with European politicians are also on the plans," Zelenskyy added.
As previously reported, the United States and its allies were also working to supply Ukraine with anti-ship missiles.
In April, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, stated that Ukraine needed planes, anti-ship missiles, armored personnel carriers, and heavy air defense systems. In May, three US officials and two sources in the US Congress told Reuters that the White House was considering two options for transferring to Ukraine - Harpoon missiles produced by Boeing and Naval Strike Missile from Kongsberg and Raytheon Technologies. They can be provided directly by the United States or its European allies, which have such missiles.