Zelensky pleads for jets, missiles, after visit to frontline

KYIV, March 24 ----- Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky told European leaders that "delays" sending fighter jets and long-range missiles could extend the war, after he paid a visit to the frontline southern region of Kherson.

On the train home from the war-ravaged areas, Zelensky gave an emotional account of what he had seen as he addressed a summit of his EU counterparts gathered in Brussels via video link, an EU official said. But, while he welcomed a recent EU plan aimed at sending Kyiv one million artillery shells, he kept up his demand for modern warplanes and missiles he believes will be more effective at pushing back Russian forces. His demands came after Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, said he planned to take advantage of the fact that Russian troops were "exhausted" near Bakhmut, the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle since the Russian invasion last year.

Kyiv considers Bakhmut key to holding back Russian forces along the entire eastern front. Both sides have invested heavily in the fight, even though analysts say the city has little strategic value. The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group said this week that his forces were in control of around 70 percent of the city. A Russian aide in the wider Donetsk region has said the city was "practically surrounded".

Source: news.abs-cbn.com