Ukraine needs long-range weapons to protect civilians, not to strike at Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said at a press conference.
Zelenskyy emphasized that after the occupation, about 85,000 people out of 500,000 remained in Kherson. And after the de-occupation, Russians began to attack peaceful Kherson residents, so people are leaving.
"Long-range weapons are about protecting civilians. Because in the minds of many states, the supply of such powerful weapons... By the way, we have reached an agreement with Britain. It's a different kind of weapon, but it's a long-range weapon. It took a lot of work to convince people that Ukraine needed long-range weapons. This narrative (about strikes on Russia - ed.) is spread by institutions, sometimes it is Russia's disinformation, sometimes it is internal fears," the president said.
Ukraine has long been saying that it needs long-range weapons, in particular American ATACAMS.