In his video address, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy praised the country’s powerful air force in the fight against Russia’s invasion. Sunday is day 186 in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
“Russia had hoped to destroy our air force in the first hours of the great invasion. And of course that was a completely crazy target for the enemy – like many other targets, too, ”said Zelenskyj in the video message distributed in Kyiv on Saturday. The pilots are first class and are also praised for their skills by other countries. The head of state had previously congratulated the “Day of the Air Force” and declared: “The invaders will disappear like dew in the sun. And our defense is and will be the sun.”
Zelenskyy emphasized once again that the fight for freedom and the country’s independence can only succeed if we work together. “It’s a collaborative effort. And it is a result that will be achieved thanks to the strength and solidarity of everyone who values freedom and does not tolerate tyranny,” he said, referring also to other states supporting Ukraine. “Freedom always wins.” Zelenskyy announced that supporters of Ukraine abroad should also be honored.
The outgoing Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, has again invited the Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) because of his remarks about the Ukraine war. Actually, Kretschmer would have had an invitation from Melnyk to Ukraine. “With your absurd rhetoric about freezing the war, you are playing into Putin’s hands and fueling Russia’s aggression,” Melnyk wrote on Twitter. Therefore, his invitation to Kretschmer to visit Ukraine was “cancelled”. “You are not wanted. Period,” added the ambassador.
Melnyk was reacting to statements by the Saxon head of government in the ZDF program “Markus Lanz” on Wednesday. In it, Kretschmer said it was important “to stand up for the fact that this war has to be frozen, that we need a ceasefire, that we need negotiations to end this war”.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) promised Ukraine years of support in the war against Russia if necessary. “Unfortunately, we have to assume that Ukraine will still need new heavy weapons from its friends next summer,” said Baerbock of “Bild am Sonntag”. “Ukraine also defends our freedom, our peaceful order. And we support them financially and militarily – for as long as it is necessary. Point.”
Baerbock expressed the expectation that the war “could last for years”. Russian President Vladimir Putin had a “delusional idea” that he could take Ukraine within a very short time. However, this project did not work out. The foreign minister also defended Ukraine’s claim to the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea annexed from Russia. Crimea is also part of Ukraine. The world never recognized the illegal annexation of 2014.”
In the future, Poland and the Czech Republic will protect the airspace over the EU and NATO partner country Slovakia, which shares a border with Ukraine, with fighter jets. The three defense ministers signed an agreement on Saturday at the Slovakian military airfield in Malacky. Slovakia had ordered 14 American F-16 aircraft to replace the outdated Soviet-designed MiG-29. However, their delivery is expected to be delayed until 2024.
Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad described the agreement as evidence of a “strong friendship, even brotherhood” between the three countries. Maintaining the MiG-29 fleet has also become increasingly difficult due to sanctions against Russia over the war against Ukraine. The machines are now to be decommissioned. It would also be possible for them to be made available to Ukraine. A decision is still pending.
What will be important on Sunday:
The eyes of the world public continue to focus on the situation around the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia. According to the warring parties, experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will soon travel to the plant to see the situation for themselves. Moscow is rejecting the handover of the nuclear power plant back to Kyiv, which has been demanded by dozens of states, because from the Russian point of view Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of the plant.
