Ukraine is repeatedly attacked by Russian missiles. Now Zelenskyy wants to have missiles built himself to attack the bases in Russia from where the missiles are launched.
Ukraine wants to respond to the Russian missile attacks with its own missile construction program. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised to develop and build its own long-range missiles. “Our missile program has good momentum and even though the task is difficult, we are gradually getting closer to being able to use our missiles and not just rely on the missiles supplied by our partners,” Zelenskyy said in his daily video address. He called for the greatest possible independence in weapons and especially missile production.
Ukraine’s missile program is not starting from scratch. The republic was already the main location for Soviet missile production during the Soviet era. After the start of hostilities in eastern Ukraine between government troops and pro-Russian separatists in 2014, new types of missiles were introduced. After the Russian invasion in 2022, Kiev says it sank the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the “Moskva,” with missiles of its own production. These are said to have a range of almost 300 kilometers.
However, Zelenskyj now wants to significantly increase this range so that Kiev can use missiles as well as drones to attack military facilities deep in the Russian hinterland. So far, however, Moscow still has clear advantages in this regard. Ukraine is not allowed to use Western weapons to attack facilities further away in Russia, partly because Europeans and Americans fear a further escalation of the conflict beyond Ukraine.
At the same time, Ukraine is keeping the USA on its radar as its most important partner. Shortly after President Joe Biden withdrew from the US election campaign, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, contacted the possible new security advisor Philip Gordon. Gordon is currently advising the US Vice President, Democrat Kamala Harris, on security issues. He is considered a possible new security advisor if Harris is nominated as a candidate and wins the US election.
Yermak wrote on Telegram that he had informed Gordon about the situation at the front and the increased Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns, including on energy infrastructure. The continued support of Ukraine by the USA was also discussed. Yermak is usually in close contact with the current security advisor, Jacob Sullivan. However, the Ukrainian had already held talks with Gordon during a visit to Washington in early July. Zelensky had previously spoken on the phone with the Republican Party’s presidential candidate, Donald Trump, in case he wins the election.
In China, on the other hand, it is about generating diplomatic support. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wants to achieve a rapprochement with China for a future peace conference during talks in Beijing lasting several days. “At the center of attention will be one issue: peace in Ukraine,” the chief diplomat emphasized in a video on Facebook. The talks are about finding common ground. Above all, competition between different peace plans should be avoided. “We must achieve a just and lasting peace, and China could play an important role in this,” the minister emphasized.
Kiev wants Beijing to play a stronger diplomatic role in ending the war. China has presented a peace plan. It does not require a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory and is therefore significantly different from a variant presented by Ukrainian President Zelensky.
Russia, on the other hand, is committed to isolating itself and deterring the West. The Russian parliament, the State Duma, laid the foundations for a ban on all foreign organizations in the country. The law, which was passed in the final third reading on Tuesday, also provides for organizations that were founded directly by foreign states to be classified as “undesirable” and thus banned. This closes a legal loophole against Western influence in Russia, argued the parliamentarians. Until now, only non-governmental organizations could be banned.
