Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated that the fighting would continue without a cease-fire, as this could allow Russian forces to regroup and launch further attacks.
“A break in fighting in Ukraine doesn’t mean the war is over,” Zelenskyy said while visiting Estonia. “Stopping for a moment would help Russia. ” It could destroy us later.
There have been a few times when people suggested temporary peace during Russia’s war in February 2022, but it never really happened.
Both groups are trying to get more weapons after fighting for 22 months. They might have to fight for a long time. During the winter, the front line is mostly still and about 1,500 kilometers long. They both need weapons like artillery shells, missiles, and drones that can reach far away targets.
Zelenskyy said that Russia is getting bombs and missiles from North Korea and flying machines from Iran. On January 1st. The White House said that the US intelligence officials believe Russia got ballistic missiles from North Korea and is trying to get them from Iran.
Zelenskyy visited Tallinn in Estonia as part of a two-day trip to Baltic countries, which have been strong supporters of Ukraine.
He met with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas, who gave him a shirt with the Estonian words “Kaitsetahe” meaning “The will to defend” printed on it. Zelenskyy wore the shirt while speaking to the parliament.
We need to stop tyranny. “Zelenskyy said that tyranny should not win. ” “Always” means all the time. All the time.
Zelenskyy and Kallas talked about Ukrainians who left for Estonia during the war. He said at a news conference that those of draft age should go back to Ukraine to help.
He said this as lawmakers in Kyiv sent a proposed law back to the government for changes. They were worried it might have rights violations and other problems.
The new law wants to make it harder for people who avoided joining the military when they were supposed to. Ukraine doesn’t have enough soldiers and needs more people to join.
Zelenskyy said last month that Ukraine’s military wants to get 500,000 more troops ready, but he said he had asked the leaders to explain the details on what is “a very sensitive matter” before deciding whether to agree.
He is asking for more help for Ukraine from its friends, in addition to the billions of dollars in military aid it has already received from the West.
“Ukraine requires more and better weapons,” said President Alar Karis during a news conference with Zelenskyy at the Presidential Palace.
“We need to make more military equipment so that Ukraine can have what it needs,” he said. “And if it’s not tomorrow, they should receive it today. ”
Zelenskyy visited Riga, the capital of Latvia. President Edgars Rinkevics said Latvia would give more military help to Ukraine. This was reported by Latvian public broadcaster LSM.
Latvia will give different weapons and bullets to Ukraine, like missiles, howitzers, 155 mm shells, and drones, as requested by Zelenskyy, according to LSM.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy got promise of more help from Lithuania.
The European Union countries have given Ukraine 85 billion euros ($93 billion) in help. This was said by Karis. However, the help has decreased, worrying Ukrainians who would struggle to defend themselves against their larger neighbor on their own.
The US government wants to give $60 billion to Kyiv, but Congress hasn’t approved it yet. Europe promised to give 1 million artillery shells within a year, but they have only given about 300,000 so far.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine really needs defense systems to protect against Russian airstrikes that have hit civilian areas, even though Moscow officials say they are only targeting military sites.
In recent weeks, there have been a lot of Russian attacks with over 500 drones and missiles fired in December. On January 29th. According to officials in Kyiv, there are two significant challenges. They are using up Ukraine’s air defence resources and making it weak unless it can get more weapons.
The little countries in Eastern Europe are some of the biggest supporters of Ukraine when it comes to politics, money, and the military. Some people in the Baltic countries are worried that Moscow might attack them next.
Joseph Stalin took control of the three countries during World War II and they became part of the Soviet Union. They got their independence back when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. They became a part of NATO in 2004, which means they asked for help in case of war from the US and its friends.
Wednesday night, a Russian missile hit a hotel in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-biggest city, and hurt 13 people, including a journalist from Turkey and the local governor. Oleh Syniehubov spoke. The city has been under attack for the past four nights, he said.