Ukrainian president states counteroffensive will not likely intention to assault Russian territory
BERLIN — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported Sunday that his nation is getting ready a counteroffensive intended to liberate places occupied by Russia, not to attack Russian territory.
Talking all through a information meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Zelenskyy stated Ukraine’s purpose is to totally free the territories in its internationally recognized borders.
The Washington Article cited beforehand undisclosed paperwork from a trove of U.S. intelligence leaks suggesting that Zelenskyy has considered making an attempt to capture regions in Russia appropriate for possible use as bargaining chips in peace negotiations to finish the war introduced by Moscow in February 2022. This would place him at odds with Western governments that have insisted that weapons they offer need to not be employed to assault targets in Russia.
Requested about the report, Zelenskyy stated: “We you should not attack Russian territory, we liberate our possess legitimate territory.”
“We have neither the time nor the power (to assault Russia),” he mentioned, according to an formal interpreter. “And we also you should not have weapons to spare, with which we could do this.”
“We are getting ready a counterattack for the illegally occupied parts primarily based on our constitutionally defined legitimate borders, which are regarded internationally,” Zelenskyy said.
Among the areas still occupied by Russia are the Crimean peninsula and areas of jap Ukraine with largely Russian-talking populations.
The Ukrainian president is browsing allies in lookup of further more arms to help his country fend off the Russian invasion, and cash to rebuild what is actually been destroyed by more than a yr of devastating conflict.
A Luftwaffe jet flew Zelenskyy to the German money from Rome, in which he experienced met Saturday with Pope Francis and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni.
It was his initially stop by to Berlin because the begin of the war and arrived a working day right after the German govt announced a new deal of armed service support for Ukraine worth a lot more than 2.7 billion euros ($3 billion), together with tanks, anti-aircraft methods and ammunition.
Zelenskyy thanked Scholz for Germany’s political, money and armed forces support, saying the place is now 2nd only behind the United States in providing help to Ukraine — and joked that he is working to make it the most important donor.
“German air defense devices, artillery, tanks and infantry combating automobiles are saving Ukrainian lives and bringing us nearer to victory. Germany is a dependable ally! Collectively we are bringing peace nearer!” he wrote on Twitter right after the conference.
Scholz claimed Berlin has so considerably offered Kyiv some 17 billion euros in bilateral aid and that it can expect extra in upcoming.
“We will aid you for as extended as important,” he mentioned, incorporating that it is up to Russia to conclude the war by withdrawing its troops.
The office of French President Emmanuel Macron afterwards announced that Zelenskyy will make a shock visit to Paris for talks.
Macron’s workplace stated the two leaders will maintain talks about supper and that Macron will “reaffirm France and Europe’s unwavering aid to reestablish Ukraine in its legit rights and to defend its elementary interests.”
Immediately after originally hesitating to supply Ukraine with deadly weapons, Germany has turn out to be one particular of the greatest suppliers of arms to Ukraine, including Leopard 1 and 2 struggle tanks, and the subtle IRIS-T SLM air-defense system. Modern-day Western components is thought of crucial if Ukraine is to do well in its prepared counteroffensive towards Russian troops.
Zelenskyy stated a single purpose for his latest visit to allied capitals was to forge a “fighter jet coalition” that would provide Ukraine with the overcome planes it requires to counter Russia’s air dominance.
Germany has stated in the previous that it doesn’t have the F-16 jets Ukraine desires and Scholz responded to inquiries about doable airplane deliveries by referring to the anti-aircraft procedure Berlin has presented to Kyiv.
“That’s what we as Germany are now concentrating on,” he explained.
In Ukraine, officers on Sunday denied that the place experienced something to do with the downing of two Russian helicopters close to the border the day before.
In a joint assertion following their assembly, Scholz and Zelenskyy claimed they aid initiatives to carry individuals dependable for atrocities in Ukraine to justice and mentioned the Worldwide Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
They also pledged to make certain sanctions in opposition to Russia are not circumvented and to examine opportunities for employing frozen Russian belongings to spend for injury prompted in Ukraine.
Germany explained it supports Kyiv’s attempts to be part of the European Union and backed a 2008 vow by NATO customers to pave the way for Ukraine to finally join the military services alliance.
Zelenskyy to start with met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s head of point out, who was snubbed by Kyiv past yr, apparently above his former close ties to Russia, creating a chill in diplomatic relations among Ukraine and Germany. Considering that then, both equally Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz have visited Ukraine.
Following talks with Scholz and other senior officials at the chancellery, the two leaders flew to the western town of Aachen for Zelenskyy to obtain the prestigious International Charlemagne Prize, awarded to him and the people of Ukraine.
In her congratulatory speech, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in comparison the war in Ukraine to the slide of the Iron Curtain far more than 30 a long time ago.
“Every technology has its minute when it has to stand up to defend democracy and what it believes in,” she explained. “For us, that instant has come.”
Zelenskyy accused Moscow of seeking to flip back the clock of European heritage in its assault on Ukraine.
“Modern Russia waged war not just on us, as a cost-free and sovereign point out, not just from united Europe as a worldwide symbol of peace and prosperity,” he mentioned in his acceptance speech. “This is Russia’s war for the earlier.”
French media described that Zelenskyy planned to vacation on to Paris late Sunday, but officers at the president and prime minister’s business wouldn’t validate.
In other developments:
Zelenskyy’s main aide, Andriy Yermak, mentioned Sunday that 5 civilians died in Ukraine’s southern Kherson area when an unexploded Russian shell blew up. Yet another Kherson resident died in shelling, mentioned regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
To people were killed in Russian shelling in the Kharkiv location, governor Oleh Syniehubov claimed.
Overnight, Russia released a “massive” assault on Ukraine with Iranian-created Shahed explosive drones, which still left far more than 30 people today wounded, in accordance to the Ukrainian military.
Eighteen of the 23 drones were shot down, but these that bought via, and wreckage from all those intercepted, harmed 50 condominium structures, private residences and other buildings, the navy mentioned with out giving even more particulars.
Russia also strike the western metropolis of Ternopil and southern city of Mykolaiv with rockets, wounding an unspecified variety of civilians.
Shelling by Russian forces killed two folks — a 59-yr-outdated lady and a 65-12 months-outdated person — in the Chuhuiv district of Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv province on Sunday, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov claimed on Telegram.
In the meantime, Russia’s Protection Ministry noted Sunday that Ukrainian forces experienced killed two of its colonels in the Bakhmut location.
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David Growing and Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Elise Morton in London and John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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BERLIN — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported Sunday that his nation is getting ready a counteroffensive intended to liberate places occupied by Russia, not to attack Russian territory.
Talking all through a information meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Zelenskyy stated Ukraine’s purpose is to totally free the territories in its internationally recognized borders.
The Washington Article cited beforehand undisclosed paperwork from a trove of U.S. intelligence leaks suggesting that Zelenskyy has considered making an attempt to capture regions in Russia appropriate for possible use as bargaining chips in peace negotiations to finish the war introduced by Moscow in February 2022. This would place him at odds with Western governments that have insisted that weapons they offer need to not be employed to assault targets in Russia.
Requested about the report, Zelenskyy stated: “We you should not attack Russian territory, we liberate our possess legitimate territory.”
“We have neither the time nor the power (to assault Russia),” he mentioned, according to an formal interpreter. “And we also you should not have weapons to spare, with which we could do this.”
“We are getting ready a counterattack for the illegally occupied parts primarily based on our constitutionally defined legitimate borders, which are regarded internationally,” Zelenskyy said.
Among the areas still occupied by Russia are the Crimean peninsula and areas of jap Ukraine with largely Russian-talking populations.
The Ukrainian president is browsing allies in lookup of further more arms to help his country fend off the Russian invasion, and cash to rebuild what is actually been destroyed by more than a yr of devastating conflict.
A Luftwaffe jet flew Zelenskyy to the German money from Rome, in which he experienced met Saturday with Pope Francis and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni.
It was his initially stop by to Berlin because the begin of the war and arrived a working day right after the German govt announced a new deal of armed service support for Ukraine worth a lot more than 2.7 billion euros ($3 billion), together with tanks, anti-aircraft methods and ammunition.
Zelenskyy thanked Scholz for Germany’s political, money and armed forces support, saying the place is now 2nd only behind the United States in providing help to Ukraine — and joked that he is working to make it the most important donor.
“German air defense devices, artillery, tanks and infantry combating automobiles are saving Ukrainian lives and bringing us nearer to victory. Germany is a dependable ally! Collectively we are bringing peace nearer!” he wrote on Twitter right after the conference.
Scholz claimed Berlin has so considerably offered Kyiv some 17 billion euros in bilateral aid and that it can expect extra in upcoming.
“We will aid you for as extended as important,” he mentioned, incorporating that it is up to Russia to conclude the war by withdrawing its troops.
The office of French President Emmanuel Macron afterwards announced that Zelenskyy will make a shock visit to Paris for talks.
Macron’s workplace stated the two leaders will maintain talks about supper and that Macron will “reaffirm France and Europe’s unwavering aid to reestablish Ukraine in its legit rights and to defend its elementary interests.”
Immediately after originally hesitating to supply Ukraine with deadly weapons, Germany has turn out to be one particular of the greatest suppliers of arms to Ukraine, including Leopard 1 and 2 struggle tanks, and the subtle IRIS-T SLM air-defense system. Modern-day Western components is thought of crucial if Ukraine is to do well in its prepared counteroffensive towards Russian troops.
Zelenskyy stated a single purpose for his latest visit to allied capitals was to forge a “fighter jet coalition” that would provide Ukraine with the overcome planes it requires to counter Russia’s air dominance.
Germany has stated in the previous that it doesn’t have the F-16 jets Ukraine desires and Scholz responded to inquiries about doable airplane deliveries by referring to the anti-aircraft procedure Berlin has presented to Kyiv.
“That’s what we as Germany are now concentrating on,” he explained.
In Ukraine, officers on Sunday denied that the place experienced something to do with the downing of two Russian helicopters close to the border the day before.
In a joint assertion following their assembly, Scholz and Zelenskyy claimed they aid initiatives to carry individuals dependable for atrocities in Ukraine to justice and mentioned the Worldwide Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
They also pledged to make certain sanctions in opposition to Russia are not circumvented and to examine opportunities for employing frozen Russian belongings to spend for injury prompted in Ukraine.
Germany explained it supports Kyiv’s attempts to be part of the European Union and backed a 2008 vow by NATO customers to pave the way for Ukraine to finally join the military services alliance.
Zelenskyy to start with met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s head of point out, who was snubbed by Kyiv past yr, apparently above his former close ties to Russia, creating a chill in diplomatic relations among Ukraine and Germany. Considering that then, both equally Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz have visited Ukraine.
Following talks with Scholz and other senior officials at the chancellery, the two leaders flew to the western town of Aachen for Zelenskyy to obtain the prestigious International Charlemagne Prize, awarded to him and the people of Ukraine.
In her congratulatory speech, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in comparison the war in Ukraine to the slide of the Iron Curtain far more than 30 a long time ago.
“Every technology has its minute when it has to stand up to defend democracy and what it believes in,” she explained. “For us, that instant has come.”
Zelenskyy accused Moscow of seeking to flip back the clock of European heritage in its assault on Ukraine.
“Modern Russia waged war not just on us, as a cost-free and sovereign point out, not just from united Europe as a worldwide symbol of peace and prosperity,” he mentioned in his acceptance speech. “This is Russia’s war for the earlier.”
French media described that Zelenskyy planned to vacation on to Paris late Sunday, but officers at the president and prime minister’s business wouldn’t validate.
In other developments:
Zelenskyy’s main aide, Andriy Yermak, mentioned Sunday that 5 civilians died in Ukraine’s southern Kherson area when an unexploded Russian shell blew up. Yet another Kherson resident died in shelling, mentioned regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
To people were killed in Russian shelling in the Kharkiv location, governor Oleh Syniehubov claimed.
Overnight, Russia released a “massive” assault on Ukraine with Iranian-created Shahed explosive drones, which still left far more than 30 people today wounded, in accordance to the Ukrainian military.
Eighteen of the 23 drones were shot down, but these that bought via, and wreckage from all those intercepted, harmed 50 condominium structures, private residences and other buildings, the navy mentioned with out giving even more particulars.
Russia also strike the western metropolis of Ternopil and southern city of Mykolaiv with rockets, wounding an unspecified variety of civilians.
Shelling by Russian forces killed two folks — a 59-yr-outdated lady and a 65-12 months-outdated person — in the Chuhuiv district of Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv province on Sunday, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov claimed on Telegram.
In the meantime, Russia’s Protection Ministry noted Sunday that Ukrainian forces experienced killed two of its colonels in the Bakhmut location.
___
David Growing and Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Elise Morton in London and John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
