Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an urgent appeal to Western countries to provide his country with effective air defenses, while a US spokeswoman said that President Joe Biden is ready to talk to his Russian counterpart for peace in Ukraine.
Zelensky's remarks come on the eve of a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Belarus, amid talk about a new possible attack that Moscow might launch and expectations that it might launch from Belarus.
In his evening video address, the Ukrainian president added that protecting his country's borders is a "permanent priority" and that Ukraine is ready for all possible scenarios with Russia and its ally, Belarus.
Zelensky confirmed that his country's forces still control the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, despite what he described as Russian attempts to destroy it.
The Ukrainian army said that Russian forces continue to bomb Kherson and Zaporizhia, targeting infrastructure in 32 districts on the right bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Province.
He explained that the Russian bombardment continues on the provinces of Mykolaiv, Zaporizhia and Dnipro to the south, and Kharkiv and its positions in Donetsk and Luhansk to the east.
American readiness
Meanwhile, the US representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield, said that the decision to end the war in Ukraine rests with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In an interview with Al-Jazeera, she added that US President Joe Biden is ready to talk to his Russian counterpart about a peace plan in Ukraine.
On the other hand, the Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said that the United States sending Patriot air defense missile systems to Ukraine could have unpredictable consequences.
Antonov added that the United States is guided in its relations with Russia by the constant desire to prove itself as if the ghosts of the Cold War are still roaming the corridors of Washington, as he put it.
British pack
On the other hand, it was announced in London that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak intends to announce today, Monday, the provision of a new package of artillery ammunition to Ukraine, during a meeting in Riga that brings together the leaders of the northern European and Baltic countries, in addition to the Netherlands.
Sunak arrives in Latvia today, Monday, to attend a meeting of the member states of the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force, where efforts to confront Russia's war on Ukraine will be discussed.
A statement issued by the British Prime Minister's office said that Sunak will call on the leaders of the countries of this coalition to maintain or increase the 2022 levels of support for Ukraine during 2023.
Russian ad
On the other hand, Russian state media reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin will make an "important announcement" at the Defense Ministry meeting next week.
"We are waiting for important statements," Pavel Sarobin, presenter of the "Moscow-Kremlin-Putin" program, told WGTRK on Sunday.
According to the programme, Putin will preside over an annual meeting of the Defense Ministry.
The exact date of the meeting is not yet known, but Putin is expected to travel to Minsk on Monday for talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
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