Volodymyr Zelensky warned today that there cannot be “sustainable peace” in Ukraine unless it regains control of annexed Crimea, the eastern Donbas region and other territories occupied by Russia.
The Ukrainian president stressed this position, at the European House Ambrosetti business forum in Italy, after the Standard reported of concerns in Kyiv that some figures in Washington want negotiations to end the conflict before the US elections.
In his overnight address, Mr Zelensky also hailed British defence giant BAE Systems which has established a local entity in Ukraine and signed deals with Kyiv to help to ramp up the supply of weapons, equipment and training to the country.
It is exploring potential partners and how it could ultimately facilitate the production of 105mm Light Guns in Ukraine.
Mr Zelenky said: “I had a meeting with representatives of BAE Systems. The world knows this company very well. And our warriors are already very familiar with the weapons produced by this company... Our goal is to have all the most useful weapons for defence produced in Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces were reported to have made more limited advances around the eastern town of Bakhmut and in the direction of Novodanylivka-Novoprokopivka, in the western Zaporizhzhia province.
Russian forces struck the central region of Vinnytsia with a long-range cruise missile, wounding three people, Ukrainian authorities said today.
A drone was shot down approaching Moscow this morning, said mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Another Ukrainian drone attacked a town in western Russia which is home to one of the country’s biggest nuclear power stations, though there was no damage reported to the plant, Russian officials said.
