Zelenskiy has vowed retaliation after a Russian missile strike killed dozens people and damaged a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
Ukraine is planning a retaliation move after a Russian missile strike killed at least 29 people and damaged a children’s hospital in Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said this on Monday during a visit to Warsaw, where he signed a security pact with Poland.
As world leaders prepare to head to a NATO summit starting Tuesday in Washington, Zelenskiy called for a firm response to Monday’s attack in a press conference that began with a minute’s silence for the victims.
“I would also like to hear from our partners about a greater resilience and a strong response to the blow that Russia has once again dealt to our people, to our land, to our children,” Zelenskiy said. “We will retaliate against these people, we will deliver a powerful response from our side to Russia, for sure. The question to our partners is: can they respond?”
Zelenskiy said that Kyiv wanted to use weapons supplied by its allies to hit the sites in Russia from where attacks were being launched from.
“I think we would really like to receive such a decision from our partners,” he said. “Or they would like to see the strikes again.”
He also said Ukraine was waiting for concrete steps from its Western partners to strengthen its air defenses and protect its energy sector. Kyiv is initiating an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in response to the Russian attack.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland was discussing how it could help provide energy for Ukraine before the winter as Russia targets Ukrainian energy infrastructure. He also mentioned that Poland was open to the idea of shooting down Russian missiles heading for NATO territory while they were still over Ukrainian soil.
“We need clear cooperation within NATO here because such actions require joint NATO responsibility… we are open to it, logic indicates that this would absolutely be a more effective action,” Tusk said.
The agreement with Poland was the 21st such pact Kyiv has signed with countries including the United States, Britain, France, and Germany. Officials have previously said these agreements are pledges to provide Ukraine with weapons and other aid to bolster its security and deter any future invasion, not the same as the mutual defense pact between NATO nations.