US newspaper: President Zelensky makes desperate appeal to the West
(Baonghean.vn) - Politico (USA) reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a desperate call, as the West is cutting military aid to Kiev.
According to Politico, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unexpectedly attended a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers in Brussels (Belgium), and made a desperate appeal for Western support for Kiev.
“President Zelensky’s appearance at the ministerial meeting was a surprise. With Russia resuming its offensive in the east, and potentially advancing on a wider front in the winter, Ukraine is desperate, with the West unable to guarantee supplies of weapons and ammunition,” Politico wrote.
Speaking at the NATO ministerial meeting, President Zelensky once again emphasized: “Air defense is an important part of the answer to the question of when this conflict will end, and whether it will end fairly for Ukraine.”
In response to the Ukrainian leader’s calls, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US would lead a group of countries to train Ukrainian pilots and technicians to operate and maintain F-16 fighter jets. The group would include the Netherlands and Denmark. However, NATO countries are forced to pay more attention to the Middle East.
In a subsequent post on Telegram, President Zelensky expressed hope that at the NATO Defense Ministers' meeting on the evening of October 12 (local time), member countries in the bloc will make "positive decisions regarding the provision of weapons, military equipment and necessary assistance to Ukraine."
This is the first time President Zelensky has visited NATO headquarters in Brussels (Belgium) since the conflict with Russia broke out in February 2022. Previously, he only participated in online speeches at NATO meetings.
Earlier, in an interview with France 2, President Zelensky expressed concern that escalating tensions in Israel risked “distracting” the international community's attention from the conflict in Ukraine.
However, Politico assessed that this is not entirely true, and said that it is not only developments in the Middle East that are distracting the attention of NATO member states. Specifically, a few hours before the NATO ministerial meeting began, news appeared about the damage to the gas pipeline and telecommunications cable between Finland and Estonia.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized NATO's important role in the incident, saying: "The alliance cannot choose just one threat and one challenge"./.
