Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday called on Western allies to show the same “solidarity” toward Ukraine as they did toward Israel last weekend when they thwarted an Iranian airstrike in Israeli airspace.

“By defending Israel, the free world has proven that this kind of unity is not only possible, but 100 percent effective,” he said.

In a post on Telegram, Zelensky thanked allies for providing more air defense assistance to Ukraine but said “the intensity of Russia’s attacks requires greater unity” as they have shown in defending Israel.

“Ukraine can also be protected from terrorist attacks because Ukraine, like Israel, is not a member of NATO,” he continued. He called on Ukraine’s allies to show “political will” as Ukraine is increasingly short of ammunition and urgently needs more air defense systems to repel Russian attacks.

Zelensky made his latest appeal for help from allies, saying Russia was causing “significant damage” every day.

At a press conference earlier on Monday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also said Western allies were ready to defend Israel and called for more support for Ukraine “as soon as possible.”

“We saw that when the allies acted in a very coordinated manner, not a single missile fell on the target and did not reach the Israeli target,” Kuleba said, alongside his Norwegian counterpart who was visiting Kiev.

The Israeli military said it intercepted 99 percent of air threats with help from the United States and other allies, and that the nighttime attacks caused only minor damage.

“Everything we ask of our partners, even if you can’t behave like in Israel, just give us what we need and we will do the rest,” Kuleba added.

Kuleba said via video at the Second Black Sea Security Conference in the Bulgarian capital Sofia that strengthening Ukraine’s air defense capabilities will also strengthen regional and global stability, as this in turn can protect the security of Ukraine’s neighbors and the entire Black Sea region, Protection from Russian air attacks. fear.

“Today, there is no language that Moscow understands better than the language of force. This is what they respect, anything else is considered weakness,” the Ukrainian foreign minister said.

Kuleba also said the Black Sea must become “NATO’s sea of ​​peace and stability,” calling on the alliance to implement a “comprehensive and ambitious Black Sea strategy aimed at reducing Russia’s malign influence.”

At the same meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking via video, stressed the importance of investing in the security of the Black Sea region to ensure peace and freedom across Europe.

American aid bill

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to decide this week what to do with President Joe Biden’s $95 billion aid package, which includes $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel. The bill also covers the Indo-Pacific and involves aid to the U.S. southern border with Mexico. The package passed the Senate but stalled in the House.

The aid package has taken on added urgency after Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Israel over the weekend, despite strong opposition from a closely divided Congress.

Many conservative Republican lawmakers, particularly those close to former President Donald Trump, have strongly opposed billions more dollars being sent to Ukraine. Trump has been skeptical of assisting Kyiv in its fight against Moscow. Johnson could be ousted as speaker if he allows Ukraine aid to go ahead.

on the ground

Ukraine’s inadequate air defense capabilities and the Kharkiv region’s proximity to the Russian border make the region particularly vulnerable to attacks on energy infrastructure, leading to massive blackouts.

Russian troops attacked an educational facility in the Kharkiv region on Monday, killing two people and wounding four others, Kharkiv region governor Oleh Syniehubov said on the Telegram messaging app.

Sinehubov added that the four injured were taken to the hospital with blast and shrapnel wounds.

As the weather gets warmer, Russia has stepped up its strikes on the eastern front, with the Kharkiv region bearing the brunt.

Ukrainian officials reported deadly Russian shelling in the eastern Donetsk region, while Russia said it thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack in an area near the Black Sea.

Russian shelling killed four people in the town of Siversk, Donetsk region governor Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram.

Since its invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Russia has struck the region multiple times.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defense system destroyed a Ukrainian drone over the Krasnodar region near Crimea.

Information for this report was provided in part by Reuters, The Associated Press and AFP.