The Ukrainian head of state, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, travelled to Turkey last Friday to garner additional security and diplomatic backing. Concurrently, the Czech Republic said it had secured sufficient funds from supporters of Kyiv to begin purchasing a proposed 800,000 artillery shells for its beleaguered military.
A meeting was lined up between Zelenskiy and his Turkish equivalent, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to discuss Kyiv’s 10-point strategy for concluding the Russian invasion, as well as economic and security aid from Ankara. Zelenskiy was also anticipated to tour a Turkish shipyard manufacturing corvettes for the Ukrainian naval force.
Whilst Turkey is offering to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow, the prospect of finding common ground seems challenging. On the one hand, Russia is demanding that any peace agreement should acknowledge the Kremlin’s authority over the territories it has captured, while on the other hand, Ukraine insists on the withdrawal of all Russian forces, compensation for damages, and the submission to a war crime trial.
Intense combat persists in Eastern Ukraine, where Kyiv claims it has managed to secure the frontlines since retreating from the city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk area last month. Russia currently occupies Avdiivka and is reinforcing its presence in the region.
A shortage of artillery shells, compounded by the reluctance of Republican congressmen to sanction White House’s proposals to continue American military aid to Ukraine, has reportedly undermined Avdiivka’s defense, according to Ukrainian officials and soldiers.
Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, expressed gratitude to all nations that have supported the Czech-led initiative to stockpile ammunition for Ukraine thus far. “We’ve managed to raise enough capital to purchase the initial batch of 300,000 artillery shells. But, we aim to supply much more”, he stated.
“Our involvement and assistance to Ukraine doesn’t stop here. We’re continuously looking for collaborators to persist in supporting Ukraine in its courageous struggle against the Russian invader.”
The fund received a significant boost from Norway’s promised contribution of approximately €140 million last Thursday, enabling Prague to start procuring the 800,000 shells believed to be on sale globally and can be dispatched to Kyiv in the coming weeks, according to Czech president Petr Pavel.
Prague has yet to disclose the source of its shell purchases or the financial contributions of each participant, but the coalition includes nations such as Belgium, UK, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
The UK’s Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, made an official announcement in Kyiv regarding his country’s decision to boost the drone aid package to Ukraine, a country currently relying heavily on explosive-laden and surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles both on land and at sea, bringing it to a total of £325 million (€382 million).
Mr Shapps expressed his worries over the possibility of a democratic nation such as Ukraine falling into the hands of an autocrat like Vladimir Putin, giving voice to his concerns about the threat Russia poses. He emphasised that western nations possess ample resources to assist Ukraine in gaining victory, provided the determination is there. In his words, “This worldwide warning should all but secure Ukraine’s triumph in this conflict.”
President Zelensky named Valeriy Zaluzhny, a highly respected general who was recently replaced as the head of the Ukrainian military, as Ukraine’s new ambassador to the UK.
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