On 11 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the participants of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in the Ramstein format from Kryvyi Rih, a city which was attacked by Russian forces with ballistic missiles, killing nine children, UkrInform reports.
The Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih on 4 April was the deadliest single attack on children in Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s all-out war, according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.
Zelenskyy stated that Russian airstrikes against civilian cities continue and called for stronger air defense, adding that Ukraine needs at least ten Patriot systems to shelter the skies.
“The greatest threat is ballistic missiles. When there is a ballistic threat, people have only a few minutes to reach shelter. Just imagine what it’s like to send your child outside or simply walk through the city, knowing that a missile could strike within five minutes of launch,” he said.
Zelenskyy claimed that other Ukrainian cities such as Dnipro, Nikopol, Poltava, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, and many others are also under attack.
“You know that Patriot systems can effectively defend against ballistic threats. You also know that we are forced to move the systems we have across the country to temporarily protect various cities. And you know what happens when even one system fails: lives are lost,” he explained.
Zelenskyy said that Russia perceives air terror, which has lasted for four years in a row, as its advantage.
“We must take away this capability from them—their confidence that killing can be taken lightly. I ask you to focus your attention primarily on air defense for Ukraine. Ten Patriot systems—these exist in the free world. Now we need political decisions to make these systems work for peace. We need this,” he stressed.
He also urged the Ramstein participants to develop a long-term security strategy, particularly as Chinese soldiers have now appeared on the front lines.
“This means that Russia is clearly trying to prolong the war, even using the lives of Chinese citizens. We must work together so that these issues no longer depend on Moscow’s choices, but on our collective pressure on Moscow, because this is the only way it can work,” the Ukrainian president emphasized.
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