...
By Shane Croucher and John Feng
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded daily deliveries of missiles for Patriot air defense systems and said military hardware supplied through NATO's Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative must arrive faster.
He made the comments after Russia launched missile and drone strikes across Ukraine overnight into Thursday, killing at least two people and injuring more than 10 others. Those deaths came a day after three children were among the four killed in a Russian attack on the Kharkiv region in Ukraine's northeast.
Zelensky said the "main target" of the new strikes was energy infrastructure. Russia has repeatedly struck Ukrainian energy targets during a bitterly cold winter period, depriving civilians in major cities of heating and power.
Read More on World
The latest Russian strikes—which Ukraine's air force said consisted of 219 long-range strike drones, 24 ballistic missiles and a guided aircraft missile—come ahead of another round of trilateral peace talks with the U.S., though their date and location are not yet confirmed. Miami and Abu Dhabi are two locations floated. The Kremlin said more talks would happen "soon."
President Donald Trump has set a June deadline for a peace deal, but the ongoing strikes—including Ukrainian attacks on Russia, which Moscow also says regularly kill civilians—threaten to disrupt the fragile process to find an agreement, in which there is little trust or goodwill between Kyiv and the Kremlin.
...
"Life must be better protected from these strikes. The most effective defense against Russian ballistic missiles is Patriot systems, and missiles for these systems must be supplied every single day," Zelensky said in a post on X.
"I thank all the countries contributing to the PURL initiative. Everything currently available in the program regarding air defense must be delivered faster. I am grateful to the leaders who understand this and are helping."
Under PURL, NATO allies pay for the U.S. to supply weapons and other materiel to Ukraine for its defense against Russia, whose full-scale invasion is approaching its fourth anniversary on February 24. Russia had originally invaded Ukraine in 2014, annexing the Crimean Peninsula and backing separatist groups who formed breakaway republics in the east.
PURL was established to ensure a continuing supply of vital U.S. weapons to Ukraine after the Trump administration objected to the ongoing cost falling on American taxpayers, demanding that the burden be more widely shared across the NATO alliance.
As he entered a meeting with defense ministers from the alliance, NATO's secretary general, Mark Rutte, defended the U.S., saying it was applying enough pressure on Russia to make peace, and citing PURL as evidence, along with the sanctions in October against two of Russia's largest oil producers, the beating heart of its war economy.
Washington is "putting every pressure on Russia, as the Europeans are doing, through the sanctions packages—look at what has been happening with Lukoil and Rosneft, all the other stuff the U.S. is doing," Rutte said.
"The U.S. is still delivering crucial air defense and all the lethal weapons into Ukraine through this PURL program, so paid for by Canadian, European allies and partners.
"And the U.S. is leading the peace effort. And there is only one country, the most powerful nation on earth, the U.S., which can do that, under the leadership of President Trump, breaking the deadlock with Putin, getting the peace process going.
"So I really think the U.S. is doing exactly what we need when it comes to Ukraine."
In a polarized era, the center is dismissed as bland. At Newsweek, ours is different: The Courageous Center—it's not "both sides," it's sharp, challenging and alive with ideas. We follow facts, not factions. If that sounds like the kind of journalism you want to see thrive, we need you.
When you become a Newsweek Member, you support a mission to keep the center strong and vibrant. Members enjoy: Ad-free browsing, exclusive content and editor conversations. Help keep the center courageous. Join today.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines