Zelenskiy Calls on Allies to Honor Promises on Arms Supplies to Ukraine

FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy leaves after a trilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and US President-elect Trump at the Elysee Palace in Paris in Paris, France, December 7, 2024. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo

Asharq Al Awsat

11:40-12 January 2025 AD ـ 13 Rajab 1446 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

11:40-12 January 2025 AD ـ 13 Rajab 1446 AH

Zelenskiy Calls on Allies to Honor Promises on Arms Supplies to Ukraine

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on allies on Sunday to honor all promises to supply Ukraine with weapons, including those to counter Russian air attacks.
Zelenskiy said that over the past week Russian forces had launched hundreds of strikes on Ukraine and nearly 700 aerial bombs and over 600 attack drones were used, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian air defenses downed 60 out of 94 drones launched by Russia overnight, the air force said on Sunday. It said that 34 drones were "lost,” in reference to Ukraine's use of electronic warfare to redirect Russian drones.
"Every week, the Russian war continues only because the Russian army retains its ability to terrorize Ukraine and exploit its superiority in the sky," Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app.
He called on Ukraine's allies to fulfil agreements already made.
"The decisions made at the NATO summit in Washington, as well as those adopted during the Ramstein meetings regarding air defenses for Ukraine, have still not been fully implemented," Zelenskiy said.
Ukraine's leader this week said he had discussed with partners and the United States the possibility of granting Ukraine licenses to produce air defense systems and missiles.

Sri Lanka Tracks 11 US-Sanctioned Iranian Tankers off Coast

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 24, 2026. (Reuters)

09:15-26 August 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

Sri Lanka Tracks 11 US-Sanctioned Iranian Tankers off Coast

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 24, 2026. (Reuters)

Sri Lanka's maritime authorities were monitoring a fleet of 11 US-sanctioned Iranian oil tankers just off the island's southern coast, officials said Wednesday.

The vessels are in limbo -- they cannot return to Iran because of a United States blockade on ships using Iranian ports.

The ships were spotted close to the Galle harbor where an Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, was sunk by a US submarine in March, killing 104 sailors. Sri Lanka's navy rescued 32 Iranian sailors from that frigate.

"We have deployed reconnaissance aircraft and patrol boats to monitor these Iranian vessels outside our 12-nautical-mile territorial waters," a military official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The vessels had not sought permission to enter Sri Lankan territory and were entitled to freedom of navigation in international waters.

"There is no indication of any ship-to-ship transfer of oil or illegal discharge of pollutants, so there is no basis for Sri Lankan authorities to take action against them," he said.

Many Iranian merchant vessels moved east towards the Strait of Malacca and Singapore after the US sanctions, while several remained near Sri Lankan waters, authorities said.

Sri Lankan officials said Washington had not formally notified Colombo about sanctioned Iranian-flagged vessels.

World

China’s Xi to Visit Kyrgyzstan, Egypt from Sunday

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers an important speech at a grand gathering to commemorate the birth centenary of late leader Jiang Zemin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (Li Xiang/Xinhua via AP)

09:28-26 August 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

09:09-26 August 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

09:28-26 August 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

09:09-26 August 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

China’s Xi to Visit Kyrgyzstan, Egypt from Sunday

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend a regional summit in Bishkek and pay state visits to Kyrgyzstan and Egypt from Sunday, Beijing's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

In Egypt, Xi will meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for talks aimed at "making a positive contribution to safeguarding peace and stability in the region", foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a news conference.

The visit comes as Iran and the United States remain locked in a conflict that has spilt over across the Middle East and choked off shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global oil markets.

China has significant economic ties to the Middle East, which was its top source of crude oil imports before the war.

The state visit, Xi's first to Egypt in 10 years, "holds special significance for the development of bilateral ties", Lin said.

In Kyrgyzstan, Xi will attend an Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit with other member states, including Russia and Iran.

He will also hold talks with Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov to promote "mutually beneficial cooperation and high-quality development between the two countries".

The tour, which lasts until September 3, will be Xi's second overseas trip this year following a visit to North Korea in June.

World

South Korea Says Russian Military Planes Entered Its Air Defense Zone

Seoul's defense ministry said multiple Russian aircraft had entered and then left its air defense identification zone over the East Sea. (Republic of Korea Air Force)

07:28-26 August 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

07:27-26 August 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

07:28-26 August 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

07:27-26 August 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

South Korea Says Russian Military Planes Entered Its Air Defense Zone

Seoul's defense ministry said multiple Russian aircraft had entered and then left its air defense identification zone over the East Sea. (Republic of Korea Air Force)

South Korea said on Wednesday it had scrambled fighter jets in response to Russian military aircraft entering its air defense zone, the second such incursion in weeks.

The relationship between the countries has worsened since South Korea joined Western sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and since Moscow built stronger ties with North Korea.

Seoul's defense ministry said multiple Russian aircraft had entered and then left its air defense identification zone over the East Sea, also called the Sea of Japan.

"South Korea's military detected the Russian aircraft before they entered the zone and deployed Air Force fighter jets to prepare for any contingency," it said, without giving details.

The Russian aircraft did not violate South Korean airspace, it said.

An air defense identification zone is not sovereign airspace but a buffer area where countries require foreign aircraft to identify themselves for security purposes.

Military aircraft are generally expected to notify the relevant country before entering its zone, although there is no legal obligation to do so.

In late June, more than 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered South Korea's air defense zone.

Beijing's defense ministry said at the time that Chinese and Russian forces had conducted a "strategic air patrol" over the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the western Pacific Ocean.

Russia's defense ministry said the patrol was part of normal military cooperation plans and "not directed against third countries".

But South Korea still lodged protests with Beijing and Moscow and demanded measures to prevent a recurrence.

Zelenskiy Calls on Allies to Honor Promises on Arms Supplies to Ukraine

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