Weapons supplies only come from the USA via detours – President Zelensky complains about the reluctance. The British Foreign Minister is now speaking to the conscience of the Republicans during a visit.
In view of almost daily calls for help from Ukraine for weapons aid in the fight against the Russian war of aggression, Great Britain's Foreign Minister David Cameron has now appealed to the USA for support for the country. “If we give the Ukrainians the support they deserve, they can win this war,” he said.
Cameron reported that he had also planned various meetings with representatives and senators from the US Congress. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again appealed to the West to finally send weapons and ammunition.
Cameron: Have no intention of lecturing
Cameron said he came as a friend of the United States and firmly believed that continued support for Kiev was in America's own security interests. “I come here with no intention of lecturing anyone, telling anyone what to do, or interfering in the political process and other matters of the United States,” the British foreign minister stressed.
The United States has been Kiev's most important ally in the past two years since the start of the war, supplying weapons and ammunition on a massive scale. However, there has been no supply from the USA for quite some time. The background is a domestic political blockage in the US Congress, where Republicans – driven by former President Donald Trump – are currently refusing further aid to Kiev. Cameron also met with Trump during his visit to the USA.
Zelensky criticizes the lack of arms support from the West
Zelenskyj again complained about the lack of arms support from the West. “Our partners have certain weapons that we need today to survive. And I just don't understand why we don't get these weapons,” said Zelensky, who was in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, in an interview with “Bild” newspaper and other Axel Springer media (“Welt”, “Politico”, “Business Insider” and “Onet”). He had recently repeatedly called for more anti-aircraft systems and ammunition.
USA sends thousands of confiscated weapons to Ukraine
Meanwhile, the US government said it sent Ukraine thousands of seized machine guns from Iran. The weapons were seized by the US military and allied forces on four unflagged ships in the Arabian Sea between 2021 and 2023, the US Justice Department said. The ships were on their way from Iran to Yemen.
Around 5,000 AK-47 assault rifles, sniper rifles and machine guns as well as around 500,000 rounds of ammunition were secured, it said. According to the Justice Department, Iran wanted to send the weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen in violation of a UN Security Council resolution. The USA declared the ammunition to be its property.
Switzerland is planning a Ukraine peace conference in mid-June
Switzerland is planning a high-level international Ukraine peace conference in June. However, Russia will not take part, said Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis in Bern. The meeting is expected to take place on June 15th and 16th near Lucerne. There are still many unknowns at the moment, but after discussions with various countries it has become clear that a high-level conference as a start to a peace process has sufficient international support, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA) in Bern.
According to the EDA, the conference is intended to provide a dialogue platform on paths to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. The talks are based on international law and the UN Charter. Specifically, a roadmap for Russia's participation in the peace process should also be developed.
Planning for the Ukraine Peace Conference began last January during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Bern. However, the conference will go beyond a peace plan drawn up by Zelensky and also take into account existing proposals from other countries, such as China, Cassis said.
Dead and injured after Russian shelling in eastern Ukraine
At least three civilians have been killed by Russian shelling in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine. Two more people were injured in the village of Lypzi, the region's governor, Oleh Synjehubov, said on Telegram. A shop and a pharmacy were damaged in the town, which is a good ten kilometers from the Russian border. In another attack, at least one person was injured when two glide bombs were dropped in the small town of Vovchansk, about 20 kilometers to the east.
According to official information, at least four people were killed and seven others injured in attacks on the port city of Odessa. A ten-year-old girl was among the fatalities, the region's military governor, Oleh Kiper, said on his Telegram channel on Wednesday evening. According to him, the attack was carried out with Iskander ballistic missiles.
Air strikes on energy facilities in southern Ukraine
According to the Kiev military, several energy supply systems in the south of Ukraine were damaged in Russian air strikes on Wednesday night. An unspecified power supply object was hit in the port city of Odessa on the Black Sea. A fire broke out at an energy facility in the Mykolaiv region, the military press office for southern Ukraine said on its Telegram channel. How severe the damage is still needs to be determined.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the Russian army used 17 Iranian-made combat drones, 14 of which were shot down. Two Ch-59 cruise missiles flying towards Odessa were intercepted on Tuesday evening. In addition, two Iskander-K cruise missiles and an Iskander-M ballistic missile were launched from the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia.
