Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Madrid, May 27, 2024 (Reuters/Yonhap)

Monday’s Coverage: Zelenskiy — “Decision Needs To Be Made” About “Destroying Russia’s Terrorist Force”

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1617 GMT:

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has repeated that European Union states should lift restrictions on Ukraine striking Russian territory.

Some allies have not imposed restrictions on the weapons. I believe the time has come to consider those restrictions, not least in light of the development in the war, the evolution into a war which now is actually taking place along the borders. That makes it even harder for [Ukrainians] to defend themselves and the right for self defense is part of the right for self defense.

UPDATE 0825 GMT:

At a ceremony in Brussels, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo have signed the 10-year bilateral security pact.

Belgium has committed to the delivery of 30 US-made F-16 fighter jets and pledged at least €977 million in military aid in 2024.

De Croo commented:

UPDATE 0724 GMT:

Ukrainian officials have retracted the announcement of military commander-in-chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi that French military instructors will soon arrive in the country.

Syrskyi said he had signed paperwork allowing French military instructors to visit Ukrainian training centers in the near-future. However, the Defense Ministry issued a “clarification” that Kyiv is still in talks with Paris and other allies.

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said the deployments of troops should not be ruled out, without specifying what role they would play in Ukraine’s defense.

Sikorski said: “We should leave Putin guessing as to our intentions.”

UPDATE 0716 GMT:

Ukraine carried out a drone attack on a long-range radar site deep inside Russia on Sunday.

The strike was the second in recent days on Moscow’s early-warning infrastructure.

A Ukrainian intelligence official said the UAVs targeted a “Voronezh M” radar near the city of Orsk in the Orenburg region in southwest Russia, 1,500 km (930 miles) from the frontline in Ukraine.

Russian officials said a drone was downed on Monday outside Moscow, with restrictions briefly imposed at two airports in the capital.

UPDATE 0652 GMT:

A Ukrainian drone targeted a long-range radar site deep inside Russia on Sunday, the second such strike in a week on infrastructure used by Moscow to monitor Ukraine’s military activities, a Kyiv intelligence source said. The source said the strike was aimed at a “Voronezh M” radar near the city of Orsk in the Orenburg region 1,500km from the closest territory held by Kyiv’s forces.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine is signing its latest security agreements with Spain and Belgium.

Ukraine President Voloydmyr Zelenskiy visited Madrid on Monday to conclude the 10-year pact with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Today he will be in Brussels alongside Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

Since January Ukraine has signed 11 security cooperation agreements with the UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Latvia, Spain, and Belgium. Another seven countries are on the verge of the arrangement, will pledge support for Ukraine’s security for the next decade or until it joins NATO./p

No details were given in Madrid of the “enormously important” deal, but Spain said assistance would “allow Ukraine to prioritise its capacities, including its air defenses”. It backed up the statement with the pledge of €1 billion in military aid this year.

At a joint press conference, Zelenskiy said, “Spain did not show weakness when it was necessary to make fundamental political decisions for the sake of the normal coexistence of peoples and security in Europe. I thank Spain for the absolutely necessary security assistance, and especially for its air defense systems and missiles.”

He reiterated:

Russia has dropped 3,200 bombs on our people this month and there could be 3,500 next month. Thousands of aerial bombs fly over people’s heads. No one, with any weapon, training or defense, could resist it. We call on the world to help Ukraine at least with additional Patriot systems. We need at least seven systems. Because only Kharkiv needs two.

Sánchez told the press:

This will allow Ukraine to boost its capabilities, including its essential air defense systems to protect its civilians, cities and infrastructure, which are still suffering indiscriminate attacks as seen this weekend in Kharkiv.

He said Spain has pledged the supply of Patriot air defense missiles and would also send “another batch of Leopard tanks and above all ammunition”. The Spanish government added that the aid wil include intelligence, training, de-mining, reconstruction, and humanitarian assistance.

Zelenskiy also met Spanish legislators from all parties, discussing the first Global Peace Summit in Switzerland on June 15-16. More than 80 countries have accepted invitations to attend.

The President posted:

[Vladimir] Putin talks a lot about negotiations, but different countries have already faced similar dictators, who do not lie only when they remain silent. You only have to look at the actual actions of such dictators.