President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in Germany, where Kyiv obtained a significant new defence aid package, that Ukraine has no plans to attack targets in Russia.
After speaking with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, he declared, “We are not attacking Russian territory.”
Mr. Zelensky continued, “We are preparing a counterattack to de-occupy the illegally captured regions.
Mr. Scholz pledged to support Ukraine “for as long as it is necessary” and pledged to provide €2.7 billion (£2.4 billion) worth of armaments.
This includes new anti-aircraft systems and cutting-edge German Leopard tanks to defend Ukraine from nearly daily fatal Russian missile and drone attacks.
“The largest since the beginning of the full-scale aggression” by Russia in February 2022, according to President Zelensky, is the next tranche.
According to Jenny Hill of the BBC in Berlin, the war has changed Germany’s attitude towards Ukraine, which has gone from being a reluctant provider of military equipment to practically doubling its contribution overnight.
Russia claims that Ukraine frequently attacks Russian targets, including the alleged earlier this month drone attack on Moscow’s Kremlin.
While reiterating that it has the legal authority to use force and other measures to completely retake its regions that are currently under Russian control, Ukraine rejects the claims. These include the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, as well as four areas in the south and east.
Later on Sunday, President Zelensky proceeded to Aachen in western Germany to accept the coveted Charlemagne Prize that had been given to the Ukrainian people and to him this year. The award is granted in recognition of efforts to promote European unity.
At the prize ceremony, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen remarked, “Ukraine embodies everything the European idea is living for: the courage of convictions, the fight for values and freedom, the commitment to peace and unity.”
Bill Clinton, Pope Francis, and Winston Churchill are some of the previous winners.
Other Sunday developments include:
In yet another big midnight onslaught, Ukraine’s air force claims to have shot down 25 drones and three cruise missiles fired by Russia.
Russian shelling on Ukraine-held areas in the eastern Donetsk region over the last 24 hours resulted in six fatalities and 16 injuries, according to local authorities.
The Russian artillery bombardment on the southern Kherson region on Sunday claimed one life.
According to Moscow-installed officials, mobile internet service has been temporarily cut in the Russian-occupied portions of the eastern Luhansk region due to increasing bombardment by Ukrainian forces. President Zelensky overnighted in Italy before flying to Germany with the support of two German Air Force fighter jets.
The head of Ukraine met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio President Mattarella in Rome. Additionally, he met privately with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
According to the pontiff of Argentina, he continuously prays for peace in Ukraine.
Also emphasised by the Pope was the urgent need to assist “the most vulnerable individuals, innocent victims” of the Russian invasion.
Ms. Meloni reassured Mr. Zelensky that Rome would back a unified Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president landed in Paris later on Sunday and met with French President Emmanuel Macron for supper at the Élysée Palace.
