Zelenskyi sends a letter to Trump, warning of Ukraine\u2019s critical shortage of air defenses. Ukraine is capable of liberating Crimea, a former U.S. Army commander says. A Russian attack on Kherson kills a father, injures his two children and their mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said Wednesday he had sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump and Congress earlier this week asking for anti-ballistic missile capabilities of which Ukraine is facing worsening shortage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukrainian news site the Kyiv Independent cited excerpts from the letter on Wednesday and later updated the article with its full text. The paragraphs below are quoted from the article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen it comes to air defense against missiles, we rely on our friends,\u201d the letter, seen by the Kyiv Independent, reads. \u201cWhen it comes to defending against ballistic missiles, we rely almost exclusively on the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukrainian officials fear the country\u2019s limited supply of Patriot interceptors and other Western-provided systems may struggle to withstand bombardments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really tough when it comes to anti-ballistic defense,\u201d one person familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the official, Ukraine\u2019s ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, has been distributing the letter to the White House, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and other members of Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other news, Axios journalist Barak Ravid posted the letter in full on X on Wednesday. President Zelenskyi\u2019s communications advisor, Dmytro Lytvyn, confirmed the document was genuine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the letter, Zelenskyi thanked the U.S. for helping Ukraine to defend itself against Russia\u2019s attacks and emphasized its needs for further protection as Russia intensifies aerial attacks and threatens new strikes. He also praised the Patriot systems as the most efficient defenses against ballistic missiles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat is why I on behalf of Ukrainian people respectfully ask the President and the U.S. Congress to remain engaged, to continue standing with Ukraine and with all those who defend life, and to help us secure this vital tool of protection against Russian terror \u2014 Patriot missiles PAC-3 and additional systems \u2014 to stop Russian ballistic missiles and other Russian missile attacks. What Ukraine needs is peace, not an expansion of Russia\u2019s missile war,\u201d the letter reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine has to isolate Crimea and make it untenable for Russia to restore sovereignty over the peninsula, the former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges said in an interview with Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform published on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow, to me, this is going to be a little bit simplistic, but there is kind of the first phase or the first step to the liberation of Crimea is to isolate it. To cut that road that goes to Dzhankoi, to destroy the bridge. So, isolate it. And then number two, and this goes to the point of your good question, is make it untenable, unusable for the Russians,\u201d Hodges said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every square meter of Crimea is within range of Ukrainian precision strikes. Ukraine has to continue to pound Russia\u2019s airfields, fleet and supply lines so that \u201cthe Russians realize they cannot stay there\u201d and that \u201cthere is no use in Crimea for the Russians there,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important to cut the road to Dzhankoi and destroy the Kerch Bridge, he continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat Kerch Bridge is already damaged and weakened in some way. That is a vulnerability, but it also has this enormous psychological impact. And as long as that bridge is there, even after a peace is finally agreed somehow, that is an obstacle to Ukraine being able to go up in and out of Azov,\u201d Hodges said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe longer, harder part is how you get them to leave and then get Ukrainian troops onto it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This will happen as part of Ukraine\u2019s effort to destroy Russia\u2019s oil and gas infrastructure with long-range precision capabilities, Hodges continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI still believe that Crimea is the most important terrain or geography for this war. And that the side which controls Crimea is going to win the war. And I cannot imagine the war ending with Russia in control of Crimea and that being a long-term sustainable peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause as long as Russia controls Crimea, Ukraine will never be able to get up in the Azov Sea or do the rebuild of Mariupol or Berdiansk,\u201d he continued, adding: \u201cAnd then of course Russia could still disrupt shipping coming out of Odesa or Mykolaiv, for example. So, Crimea has to be sorted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 36-year-old woman and her two daughters, ages 3 and 6 were injured while staying on a playground as Russia struck Kherson with multiple launch rocket systems on Wednesday. The father of the family was killed in the attack, regional police said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mother and the daughters \u201chad blast injuries and numerous shrapnel wounds. All three are being treated by medics,\u201d said head of the city\u2019s military administration, Yaroslav Shanko.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"