Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday his country's forces have shown the world that Russia's military can be stopped but the Kyiv government badly needs Western allies to send it more air defense systems to shoot down an increased barrage of incoming Russian drones and missiles.
In Vilnius, on the first stop in a two-day visit to Baltic states, Zelenskyy met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.
Later, Zelenskyy said, "We have proven that Russia can be stopped, that deterrence is possible."
But he added, "We lack modern air defense systems badly, what we need the most," to combat the renewed barrage of Russian airstrikes — more than 500 drones and missiles targeting Ukraine between December 29 and January 2.
Zelenskyy acknowledged, however, that stockpiles are low in countries that could assist Ukraine.
"Warehouses are empty," he said. "And there are many challenges to world defense."
Ukraine aims to build defense industry
As the war nears its two-year mark, Ukraine is hoping to ramp up development of its domestic defense industry and work on joint projects with foreign governments to manufacture more ammunition and weapons.
Ukrainian officials traveling with Zelenskyy signed several documents on cooperation with Lithuania for joint arms production, with more such agreements expected during Zelenskyy's meetings with Latvian and Estonian officials on Thursday.
"We know how tiring this long-running war is, and we are interested in Ukraine's complete victory in it as soon as possible," Nauseda told reporters.
The small eastern European countries are among Ukraine's staunchest political, financial and military supporters, and some in the Baltics worry that they could be Moscow's next target.
The three countries were seized and annexed by Josef Stalin during World War II before regaining independence with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. They joined NATO in 2004, placing themselves under the military protection of the United States and its Western allies.
"Democratic countries have done a lot to help Ukraine, but we need to do more together so that Ukraine wins and the aggressor loses," Estonian President Alar Karis said in a statement.
"Then there is the hope that this will remain the last military aggression in Europe, where someone wants to dictate to their neighbor with missiles, drones and cannons what political choices can be made," he said.
Western aid slows
As the Ukraine-Russia war drags on, Western military supplies to Ukraine have tailed off. In the U.S., President Joe Biden's request for more Ukraine aid is stalled in Congress, while Europe's pledge in March to provide 1 million artillery shells within 12 months has fallen short, with only about 300,000 delivered so far.
But the Russian attacks on Ukraine have continued, with Russian S-300 missiles striking Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, late Tuesday. Several buildings were damaged, but no casualties were reported.
The U.S., most members of the European Union, and more than 20 other nations issued a joint statement Tuesday condemning North Korea's sale of missiles to Russia and the Russian military's subsequent use of those missiles during attacks on Ukraine.
The statement said the attacks took place December 30 and January 2, and that the signatories are closely monitoring what Russia provides to North Korea in return for the missiles.
"The transfer of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia's war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime," the statement said. "Russia's use of [North Korean] ballistic missiles in Ukraine also provides valuable technical and military insights" to Pyongyang.
Those involved in the joint statement also include the foreign ministers of Argentina, Canada, Israel, Japan, Norway and South Korea.
Some material in this report came from The Associated Press.
