Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the US and other global allies to respond forcefully to the renewed Russian assault, demanding ‘concrete action’ as Russian strikes hit Kyiv and Odesa. His remarks come amid mounting frustration over the stalled peace talks and what Ukraine sees as insufficient Western resolve.
“It is vital that the response to this and other similar Russian attacks is not silence from the world, but concrete action. Action from America, which has the power to force Russia into peace. Action from Europe, which has no alternative but to be strong,” Zelensky said.
The statement also comes when Ukraine was rocked on June 10 by a massive wave of Russian drone and missile strikes, killing at least three people and damaging civilian infrastructure, including a maternity hospital in Odesa and residential areas in Kyiv. Officials said over 300 drones and seven missiles were launched by Russia, two of which were reportedly of North Korean origin.
(Photo courtesy: Volodymyr Zelenskyy/Facebook)
Russia’s defense ministry claimed responsibility, saying it had successfully targeted Ukrainian “aviation, missile, armored vehicle and ship-building facilities” in Kyiv. “The goal of the strikes was achieved. All designated objects were hit,” the ministry said in a statement.
US can stop the war, says Zelenskyy
Earlier, speaking to ABC News, the Ukrainian president insisted that the US holds the key to halting the war. “I am convinced that the president of the United States has all the powers and enough leverage to step up,” Zelensky told the news outlet.
He said US President Trump has the global influence to bring European allies together for a unified pressure campaign on the Kremlin. “They [European leaders] are all looking at President Trump as a leader of the free world … and they are waiting for him,” he said.
Zelensky maintained that Putin will only agree to peace if faced with forceful diplomatic and military opposition. “Only hard pressure from the U.S. and allies can make Putin pragmatic,” he told ABC. “Then they will stop the war.”
Over 1,200 soldier bodies returned to UkraineUkraine brought home the bodies of 1,212 soldiers killed in the war with Russia, the Kyiv officials responsible for exchanging prisoners of war said this week. The bodies will now be transferred to experts of Ukraine's Interior Ministry, law enforcement agencies, and the Health Ministry, who will try to ascertain their identities as soon as possible, the prisoner exchange coordination body said. |
