Ukraine Welcomes US Patriot Missile Approval Amid Ongoing Attacks
Kyiv urges allies to provide weapons from existing stocks as Russian strikes target energy infrastructure.
Ukraine welcomed the U.S. approval of its purchase of 500 PAC-3 Patriot interceptors on Saturday, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged allies to also supply weapons from existing stocks, warning that the newly authorized U.S. weapons could take years to arrive.
The Trump administration announced Friday its approval of the proposed $2.1 billion sale of Patriot air defense interceptors, a move that follows Kyiv's accusations that the Pentagon had been delaying deliveries of the crucial munition needed to counter Russian ballistic missiles.
The State Department stated that 500 Patriot missiles would be acquired for Ukraine through donations from Canada, Germany, and Norway, utilizing a U.S. program that does not involve American funds.
Zelenskyy highlighted the ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, noting that more than 30 Russian strikes on critical parts of the power grid had occurred in the past two weeks alone.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military reported drone attacks in Russia's western Bryansk region, resulting in the deaths of a 30-year-old woman and a 41-year-old man, with five others injured. Local officials also reported Ukrainian drone activity in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan, with a fire at a refinery in the capital city of Ufa.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces had intercepted 433 Ukrainian drones overnight. Zelenskyy added that Moscow had launched drone attacks on energy and railway infrastructure across Ukraine, leaving approximately 280,000 households in the Dnipro and Kyiv regions without power. These attacks specifically targeted combined heat and power plants in Kyiv and Sumy regions, four electricity substations, and a gas distribution facility in the Dnipro region, as well as railway infrastructure in Dnipro and Kharkiv.
Repair crews are currently working to restore power. Zelenskyy reiterated his call for partners to impose further sanctions on Russia and provide additional support packages to Ukraine, emphasizing that international aid is crucial to preventing further Russian escalation into Europe.
In related news, evacuees from Russian-occupied Oleshky in Ukraine's southern Kherson region crossed into Ukrainian-held territory on Saturday. This operation occurred under the most significant truce since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began 4½ years ago. The ceasefire, which started early Tuesday and was expected to continue through Sunday evening, facilitated the rescue of over 750 people, according to Melania Trump, who posted on social media that the humanitarian convoy could safely evacuate them. Relatives and volunteers welcomed the evacuees at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, offering aid and food. Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, described the mission as a significant achievement and expressed hope that the Oleshky truce could serve as a model for addressing other humanitarian crises. However, Russia's human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, indicated that living conditions in Oleshky remain difficult and that Russia would work to support residents who chose to stay.