Washington
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced the reconstruction of the children’s hospital in Kiev, which was badly damaged by a Russian missile attack. 100 million hryvnias (equivalent to 2.3 million euros) have already been allocated to support the hospital, and another 300 million hryvnias will follow, Zelensky said in his evening video message – this time from Washington, where the Ukrainian head of state will participate in the NATO summit. He thanked all private donors who supported the clinic and promised assistance to all families whose loved ones were killed or injured in the attack.
More than 40 people were killed and over 100 wounded across the country in a rocket attack on Ukraine on Monday. The shelling of a children’s hospital in Kiev sparked international outrage. Moscow now claims that a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile hit the building, despite video footage that the UN says shows a direct hit by a Russian missile.
Zelensky said in Washington that he would fight again to strengthen the air defenses. According to Kiev, the Patriot systems delivered so far are not enough to effectively protect large cities. It is also about obtaining the promised F-16 fighter jets, Zelensky said. He will fight to increase the number of units.
Kiev wants to fight for air supremacy in Ukrainian airspace, both with the F-16s and with the Patriot systems. So far, this has been on the side of the Russian army, which allows Moscow to attack positions on the front and cities in the Ukrainian hinterland from the air – with drones, missiles and guided glide bombs dropped from aircraft and extremely high destructive power.
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