War briefing in Ukraine: Skeptics can be convinced by my NATO plan, says Zelenskyy | Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday there was still time to convince “skeptics” that Ukraine should be invited to join NATO. “An invitation to Ukraine to join NATO is necessary for our survival,” Zelensky said. Zelensky said this on Friday NATO protection for the free part of Ukraine could end the “hot war” and leave Kiev to regain the territories occupied by Russia through diplomatic channels.

Zelensky said on Sunday that his country needed NATO security guarantees and more weapons to defend itself before talks with Russia. He called for “steps forward with NATO” and a “good number” of long-range weapons for Ukraine’s defense. “Only when we have all these points and are strong do we then have to set the very important… agenda and meet with one or other of the murderers,” he said, adding that the EU and NATO will be involved in all cases should negotiations. Zelensky made the comments after a meeting with the EU’s new top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and the head of the EU Council, Antonio Costa. who visited Kiev on their first day in office to show their support.

Kallas said before their meeting that for Kiev “NATO membership is the strongest security guarantee…” We definitely need to discuss this – if Ukraine decides to draw a border somewhere, how can we ensure peace so that Putin doesn’t go further?” Kallas said the EU should “not really rule out anything” on the issue of sending European troops to help enforce a ceasefire. “We should have strategic ambiguity on this,” she said.

Jennifer Rankin writes from Brussels that it is no surprise that Kallas traveled to Ukraine on her first day as EU chief diplomat. “My message is clear: the European Union wants Ukraine to win this war,” said Kallas, who resigned as Estonia’s prime minister to take the job.

At least three people were killed in a Russian drone attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Khersonthe regional governor said on Sunday. Seven other people were injured in the morning attack on public transport, Oleksandr Prokudin said. Russian forces withdrew from the city of Kherson at the end of 2022, but regularly attacked with artillery and drones from across the Dnipro River.

Dan Sabbagh, defense and security editor of the Guardian, has written about this Syrian The rebels’ stunning takeover of Aleppo amid waning Russian military support for Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “It was not Kiev that fell in three days, but Aleppo… Russia is no longer the force it was in Syria over the last decade because Moscow has shifted its military focus and resources to invading Ukraine.”

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has accused China of supplying Russia with weapons for its war against Ukraine and endangering peace in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. “Instead of taking responsibility for world peace and security as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China is opposing our core European interests with its economic and arms aid to Russia,” said Baerbock, who will travel to China next week to meet with her counterpart Wang Yi and discuss issues such as the war in Ukraine.

“Putin’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine is a direct threat to our peace,” said Baerbock. “I will also talk in Beijing about the fact that we cannot simply ignore this in our relations with China.” The war in Ukraine showed how inextricably linked security in Europe is to that in Asia, said Baerbock. “If North Korea sends soldiers and weapons against Ukraine while Russia supports Pyongyang’s nuclear program, it threatens peace both here and in the Indo-Pacific.” said Baerbock.

The United States is not considering restoring Ukraine’s nuclear weapons capability, which it gave up after the collapse of the Soviet UnionWhite House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday. Following is a New York Times article that says some unidentified Western officials suggested Joe Biden do this. “That’s not up for debate, no. “What we are doing is providing Ukraine with various conventional capabilities so that it can effectively defend itself and carry the fight against the Russians, not nuclear capabilities,” Sullivan told US broadcaster ABC.

The world’s 100 largest defense equipment makers increased their arms sales by 4.2% to $632 billion in 2023, fueled by wars and regional tensionssaid the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) on Monday. The US companies on the Sipri list increased their sales overall by 2.5% to $317 billion compared to the previous year. The market leaders Lockheed Martin and RTX, however, recorded slightly lower arms sales. European companies on the list – excluding Russia – had roughly flat total sales of $133 billion in 2023, but orders soared and some groups saw a surge in demand related to the war in Ukraine.