Zelenskyy pushes allies for direct involvement in Ukraine’s war with Russia
Al Jazeera
Ukrainian leader seeks help intercepting Russian missiles, saying situation on the battlefield is ‘one of the most difficult’ since 2022 invasion.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is pushing partners to get more directly involved in the war by helping to intercept Russian missiles and allowing his country to use Western weapons against military equipment amassing near the border.
“It’s a question of will, but everyone says a word that sounds the same in every language: everyone is scared of escalation,” the 46-year-old leader told the Reuters news agency in Kyiv on Monday.
“Everyone has gotten used to the fact that Ukrainians are dying – that’s not escalation for people,” he said.
Zelenskyy proposed that the armed forces of neighbouring NATO countries could intercept incoming Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory to help Ukraine protect itself.
Russia has fired thousands of missiles and drones at Ukraine since the start of its invasion in 2022 and launched an assault in the northeastern border region of Kharkiv on May 10 that resulted in their biggest territorial gains in a year and a half.
