Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Iran’s drone attacks on Israel and said that the “obvious cooperation” between Russia and Iran in “spreading terror” must be met with “a decisive and unified response from the world”.
“Iran’s actions threaten the entire region and the world, just as Russia’s actions threaten a larger conflict,” Zelensky said, writes The Geopost.
Zelensky linked Israel’s situation to Ukraine, saying that Ukraine, like Israel, had been attacked by Iranian-made Shahed drones and missiles.
“We in Ukraine know very well the horror of similar attacks by Russia, which uses the same ‘Shahed’ drones and Russian missiles, as well as the same tactics of massive air strikes,” he said.
A coordinated Western response intercepted most of the 300 drones and missiles Iran fired against Israel on Saturday, prompting many Ukrainians to criticize Western allies for not showing the same firm and broad support for Ukraine as Israel.
Zelensky said only “tangible aid” could protect Ukraine from missiles and drones – and called for the release of US combat aid to Ukraine, which has long been blocked by Congress.
“It is critical that the United States Congress make the necessary decisions at this critical time to strengthen America’s allies,” he said.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, warned that further delays in US military aid would further undermine Ukraine’s ability to repel Russian advances.
While Kiev waits for much-needed US aid, which has stalled in Congress, Germany announced on Saturday that it would deliver a Patriot air defense system to Ukraine, its third to date, citing “massive air strikes and ongoing Russian attacks”.
Zelensky thanked Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz for “a genuine expression of support for Ukraine at a critical time for us”.
The Ukrainian military is also hampered by a lack of adequate training, which it needs to improve its ability to deal with “Western military equipment and weapons”, noted Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Ukraine’s European allies are busy training Kiev’s armed forces.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Friday that future Ukrainian pilots who can fly US F-16 jets are receiving their initial training in southern France.
Other countries, including Denmark, the Netherlands and Romania, are helping Ukraine train its pilots.
According to a military source, some Ukrainians, after receiving initial training in Britain, are now undergoing “advanced training” at an undisclosed location to learn to fly fighter jets, according to VOA /TheGeopost/