Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed a summit of more than 40 European leaders in Moldova, where he said he had received “powerful support” from his allies as he sought to ratchet up the pressure on the West to provide weapons and security guarantees for Ukraine.
In what has become a familiar refrain for Mr Zelensky, the president spoke of the need to overturn Russian air supremacy with a “sky shield” – a combination of Patriot missile defence systems and F-16 jets provided by Western nations. While his allies have talked a good game, Mr Zelensky will know that speed is important – given both the barrage of Russian missiles and drones that are hitting Ukrainian cities, and the preparations being made for a long-awaited counteroffensive to try to retake land occupied by Russian forces in the country’s east and south.
