Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the country's air defense and international aid against the backdrop of Russia's nighttime drone attacks. He noted that Kyiv is currently working in cooperation with the European Union and Britain, but foreign military aircraft have not yet been sent to organize air patrols over Ukrainian cities.
According to Zelenskyy, Britain and other allies have not yet decided to implement the long-requested air defense assistance from Kyiv. "EU aid is never enough - it will be enough when the war ends. We will only feel this when Putin realizes that he was forced to stop," he said in an interview with The Guardian.
The Ukrainian leader emphasized that he has warm relations with British Prime Minister Kir Starmer and noted that the limited volume of aid is not personally related to Starmer. At the same time, Zelenskyy criticized the cautious position of European countries: "Leaders are afraid of their societies. They don't want to get distracted by the war. But the issue of sending troops is the personal decision of each state," he said.
According to the president, if Kyiv exertes excessive pressure on its allies, this could lead to a reduction in financial and military aid for Ukraine. "We are demanding the necessary assistance, but we must also carefully maintain relations with partners," Zelenskyy said.
During the conversation, he stated that Russia could open a "second front" against other European countries as well. He believes that the unidentified drones observed near Polish territory, as well as around Brussels, Copenhagen, and Munich, indicate the possibility of Moscow testing new attacks.
On November 8, one of Ukraine's largest electric power companies, Centrenergo, announced the suspension of its operations following a Russian night airstrike. A day later, temporary power outages were recorded in several regions of the country. According to The Guardian journalists, the lights were also turned off twice during an interview with Zelenskyy at the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv. The president described this situation as "ordinary life": "That's how life is with us. "The electricity will go out, but we will live and fight," he said.
At the same time, Zelenskyy thanked Germany and Chancellor Friedrich Mers personally for the delivery of the US-made Patriot air defense system. However, exact information about how many complexes and from which account were issued has not been disclosed. According to DW, the German Ministry of Defense confirmed that it plans to send two more Patriot systems to Ukraine in July 2025 based on an agreement with the Pentagon.
Ukraine is currently focusing on protecting its weapons, air defense systems, and energy infrastructure from Europe in its fight against Russian airstrikes. According to Zelenskyy, for the war to end, it is Russia, not Ukraine, that must make a decision - and only strength and unity can force Putin to realize this.
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