Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky slams Joe Biden and insists green light to bomb Russia with US weapons doesn’t go far enough in rare rebuke
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has criticized the American president Joe Biden in a rare rebuke, claiming that the US decision to allow Ukraine to attack Russia with American weapons does not go far enough.
While Zelensky, speaking at Asia‘s highest safety stop Singaporethanked Biden for allowing Ukraine to attack limited Russian territory with US weapons, he said the restrictions should be scrapped.
The US last week gave Ukraine permission to use American missiles to fire on the country Kharkov, where Russian troops have been building up in numbers. But this is the only area where they are allowed to shoot, and Ukraine is only allowed to fire certain weapons.
Zelensky said: ‘Is that enough? No why? Because I gave you the example of airfields from which Russia fires permanently, in peace, knowing that Ukraine will not fire back because it has no corresponding systems and no authorizations.’
He said Russia has an advantage with the restrictions imposed on Ukraine because its military can continue to use artillery and long-range weapons to hit civilian infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured) has criticized US President Joe Biden in a rare rebuke
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky steps off his plane as he arrives to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue Summit in Singapore
While Zelensky thanked Joe Biden (pictured) for allowing Ukraine to attack limited Russian territory with US weapons, he said the restrictions should be scrapped.
“They have these weapons there and they are not removing them because they know that Ukraine cannot attack them with Western weapons even if they shoot at us,” he said.
Ukraine imposed emergency power cuts across most of the country on Sunday, a day after Russia unleashed widespread attacks on energy infrastructure and claimed it had made gains in the eastern province of Donetsk.
The shutdowns took place in all but three regions of Ukraine following Saturday’s drone and missile attack on energy targets that injured at least 19 people.
Ukrainian electricity grid operator Ukrenergo said the closures affected both industrial and domestic consumers.
Sustained Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid in recent weeks have forced the government to impose nationwide blackouts. However, without adequate air defenses to counter attacks and allow for repairs, shortages could worsen as needs increase in late summer and the bitterly cold winter.
Major recent strikes included a barrage in April that damaged Kiev’s largest thermal power plant, and a massive attack on May 8 that targeted electricity generation and transmission facilities in several regions.
A view of a damaged residential area after a Russian attack with S-300 missiles on Kharkiv, Ukraine on May 31, 2024
Damaged car lies among the rubble after a Russian missile attack on May 31, 2024 in Kharkiv, Ukraine
Medics bandage the head of a wounded man after a Russian shelling on May 31, 2024 in Kharkiv
After Saturday’s barrage, Ukraine’s air force said Sunday that air defenses had shot down all 25 drones launched overnight.
Russia claimed on Sunday that it had taken control of the village of Umanske in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region.
Russia’s coordinated new offensive focused on the northeastern Kharkov region but also appears to include testing Ukrainian defenses in Donetsk further south, while also launching raids in the northern Sumy and Chernihiv regions.
In Russia, six people were injured in shelling in the town of Shebekino in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Sunday. He also said that a local official, the deputy head of the Korochansky district, had been killed by “exploding ammunition.” He gave no details.
In the neighboring Kursk region, three people were injured on Sunday when an explosive device was dropped from a drone, acting regional head Alexey Smirnov said.
