| |
Ukraine Seeks Germany Support on Russia04/14 06:07
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday in Berlin with German
Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose country is one of Ukraine's biggest
supporters, as Kyiv battles to defeat Russia's all-out invasion, now in its
fifth year.
BERLIN (AP) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday in Berlin
with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose country is one of Ukraine's
biggest supporters, as Kyiv battles to defeat Russia's all-out invasion, now in
its fifth year.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was also holding talks with his
counterpart, Mykhailo Fedorov, the former Ukrainian digital transformation
chief who took up his new post in January and is credited with advancing
military drone technology.
U.S.-led efforts to end Russia's war on Ukraine have recently petered out as
the Iran war grips the Trump administration's attention, although Tammy Bruce,
the deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the U.N. Security
Council on Monday that Washington "will continue to push for a negotiated and
durable end" to the war.
Western analysts and officials say Ukraine has in recent months recorded
battlefield successes against Russia's bigger army, disrupting a spring
offensive started by Russia amid improving weather, as fields dry out and new
foliage on tree lines offers more cover.
Meanwhile, the long-range drones and missiles that Kyiv designs and produces
are repeatedly striking oil facilities and manufacturing plants deep inside
Russia.
Ukraine "is in a much better place than it has been at any stage in this
horrific war," Finland's President Alexander Stubb said at the Brookings
Institution in Washington on Monday.
Ukraine "is on top from a military perspective," Stubb claimed, noting that
last month Ukraine fired more drones and missiles at Russia than Russia
launched at Ukraine.
Moscow has also claimed progress on the battlefield. Independent
verification of each side's claims was not possible.
Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine. That includes the Crimean Peninsula,
which Russia seized in 2014.
Ukraine is desperately short of cash and needs a promised 90-billion-euro
($106 billion) loan from the European Union. That was being held up by
Hungary's Viktor Orbn, but his departure as prime minister after weekend
elections could free up the sum.
Kyiv is also heavily reliant on U.S. intelligence for targeting inside
Russia and needs more sophisticated American-made air defense systems to stop
Russian missile attacks on its power grid. If the Iran war drags on, it could
erode vital U.S. support for Kyiv, Zelenskyy fears.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian army is short-handed, facing some 200,000 troop
desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people, Fedorov, the defense
minister, said in January.
For more free DTN information sent right to your email each morning - click here to sign up for DTN Snapshot.
|
|
