Zelenskyj sees Ukraine on its way to Europe – the night update without photos Macron stays at home – Visit Germany canceled due to unrest

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed confidence in his country’s European future. It has always been impossible to imagine a “common home in Europe” without Ukraine, but now Kiev has achieved that, even on a political level, European affairs are no longer thought of without Ukraine, he said in his daily video address on Saturday night. . The visit of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on the first day of Spain’s EU presidency was an important gesture in this regard, he added.

He thanked Madrid for its political, economic and military aid and for taking in refugees. However, he is confident that they will be able to return home soon when it is safe there again. Part of this security is Ukraine’s accession to NATO, which Kiev is striving for. He thanked Spain for supporting Ukraine’s NATO ambitions.

The Ukrainian head of state gave his speech in the northwest of the country at the Rivne nuclear power plant. There he had a briefing with military and political decision-makers, including on the safety of nuclear power plants, Zelenskyj said. In recent weeks, Kiev has repeatedly accused Moscow of provoking a nuclear incident at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. Russia denies these allegations.

Zelenskyj complains about delays in training pilots on US fighter jets

During Sánchez’s visit, Zelenskyy complained about delays in training Ukrainian pilots on American-made fighter jets. “I think some of our partners are dragging here,” he said in Kiev on Saturday. There are no fixed start dates and no timetable for the pilot training yet. In May, several European countries announced the formation of a fighter jet coalition for Ukraine. Washington paved the way for this by giving the green light to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.

Kuleba: Minefields and Russian Air Force are the biggest problems

According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Russian air superiority and minefields are the biggest problems for Ukrainian troops in their counteroffensive. evacuate advancing troops, Kuleba said in Kiev in an interview with “Bild”, “Welt” and “Politico”. The Russian fortifications, reinforced with concrete, steel and other materials, are difficult to destroy.

In addition, the armed forces would suffer greatly from “the fact that we have no anti-aircraft, anti-helicopter and anti-aircraft weapons on the ground,” Kuleba said. With the use of attack helicopters and fighter jets, the Russians managed to “hit our counter-offensive forces”.

Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez promises Ukraine 55 million euros

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez pledged €55 million in new aid to Ukraine during his visit to Kiev. “Spain will provide an additional EUR 55 million to support financing of small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine,” he said in his address to parliament in Kiev on Saturday. At the same time, the socialist politician assured that the Europeans’ support for Ukraine in their defense against the Russian offensive war was unbroken. Spain took over the planned presidency of the EU Council on Saturday.

What will be important on Sunday

Fighting at the front continues in Ukraine. Kiev recently reacted angrily to criticism of the slow progress of its own offensive. However, it is also clear to the Ukrainian leadership that they must show results against the background of Western arms aid. A further intensification of the fighting is therefore to be expected in the near future. (sda/dpa)