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
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
TT

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
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

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.



Sweden to Contribute Up to 3 Warships to Reinforced NATO Presence in the Baltic

Sweden Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson speaks to the Associated Press during an interview at the Estonian Knighthood House in Tallinn, Estonia, on Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Sweden Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson speaks to the Associated Press during an interview at the Estonian Knighthood House in Tallinn, Estonia, on Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
TT

Sweden to Contribute Up to 3 Warships to Reinforced NATO Presence in the Baltic

Sweden Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson speaks to the Associated Press during an interview at the Estonian Knighthood House in Tallinn, Estonia, on Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Sweden Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson speaks to the Associated Press during an interview at the Estonian Knighthood House in Tallinn, Estonia, on Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Sweden will contribute up to three warships to a NATO effort to increase the alliance's presence in the Baltic Sea as it tries to guard against sabotage of underwater infrastructure, the government said Sunday.

The Swedish military also will contribute an ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, the government said in a statement. And the country's coast guard will contribute four ships to help monitor the Baltic, with a further seven vessels on standby.

Sweden became the Western military alliance’s 32nd member in March. It followed neighboring Finland into NATO after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The government said this will be the first time that Sweden as a NATO ally contributes armed forces to the alliance's defense and deterrence, The AP reported.

The decision comes as a string of incidents in the Baltic has heightened concerns about possible Russian activities in the region.

The undersea cables and pipelines that crisscross the sea link Nordic, Baltic and central European countries, promote trade, energy security and, in some cases, reduce dependence on Russian energy resources.

Ten Baltic Sea cables have been damaged since 2023, affecting Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Germany and Lithuania. At least two incidents involved ships later accused of dragging their anchors.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at an annual security conference Sunday that Sweden is not at war, but there is also no peace, Swedish news agency TT reported.