Donald Trump deadline prompts call for big push to back Ukraine against Russia
NATO and its allies must launch a major push to help Ukraine smash a Russian advance before Kremlin war-chiefs reach a US 50 day ceasefire deadline, the UK says. The dramatic statement came hours after Kremlin war-chiefs unleashed 450 deadly bombs and drones on Ukraine, smashing buildings in at least five of the city's districts.
British defence secretary John Healey said the coalition must seize the moment of 'maximum opportunity' to get deadly weapons and defence systems into Ukraine. He was speaking at the 29th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a 52-strong coalition of NATO countries and their pro-Ukraine allies. Soon after the statement German confirmed arms deliveries to Ukraine were being made as a matter of urgency.
Mr Healey declared: "This is a moment of maximum opportunity. Last week, President Trump announced a new plan for large scale Nato weapons transfers, and committed to getting these, he said, quickly distributed to the battlefield.
'The UK backs this policy. We will play our full part in its success.' Mr Healey added: "Alongside this new agreement to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself, President Trump also started the clock on a 50-day deadline for Putin to agree to peace or to face crippling economic sanctions.
'And as members of this UDCG, we need to step up, in turn, a 50-day drive to arm Ukraine on the battlefield and to help push Putin to the negotiating table." It comes after Ukraine came under massive attack overnight including deadly onslaughts on Kyiv, in which the city's metro system was hit.
According to Ukraine air force Russia launched a total of 450 aerial weapons in the attack, including 426 Shahed drones and decoys, five Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, 14 Kh-101 cruise missiles, four Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea, and one Iskander-K missile.
The launches came from multiple directions, including Russian territory and the Black Sea. One person died in Kyiv, choked to death from smoke, as the capital was hit in one of the most intense onslaughts of missiles and drones in months. The attack happened just before midnight, sparking explosions thundering across Kyiv for hours and setting off fires in several districts. Poland scrambled fighter jets in response to the wave of Russian missiles.
The capital's Solomyanskyi district heard continuous blasts from Shahed drones targeting a nearby industrial zone from around 1:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed one person was killed and at least two others injured. A fire broke out in a supermarket, and multiple residential buildings suffered rooftop fires.
In Dniprovskyi, flames tore through kiosks, a kindergarten, and a non-residential building. In Shevchenkivskyi, fires erupted on two floors of an apartment block, and one person was rescued.
The entrance to the Lukianivska metro station was damaged. Emergency officials said smoke spread underground, briefly filling the sheltering area with acrid fumes.
The attack happened just before midnight, sparking explosions thundering across Kyiv for hours and setting off fires in several districts. Poland scrambled fighter jets in response to the wave of Russian missiles.
The capital's Solomyanskyi district heard continuous blasts from Shahed drones targeting a nearby industrial zone from around 1:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed one person was killed and at least two others injured.
A fire broke out in a supermarket, and multiple residential buildings suffered rooftop fires. In Dniprovskyi, flames tore through kiosks, a kindergarten, and a non-residential building.
In Shevchenkivskyi, fires erupted on two floors of an apartment block, and one person was rescued. The entrance to the Lukianivska metro station was damaged. Emergency officials said smoke spread underground, briefly filling the sheltering area with acrid fumes.
Ukraine has beciome desperately short of key air defence systems after Washington under Trump halted vital arms supplies to Kyiv
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