Ukraine has been promised battle tanks from Western countries, and is also demanding combat aircraft to respond to Russian and pro-Moscow forces advancing slowly along part of the front line.
“To significantly reduce (the effect of) the main weapon of the Russian army, which is the artillery it uses today on the front, we need missiles that destroy their depots,” Podolyak told the Ukrainian TV network Freedom.
“In Crimea (which is controlled by Russia), there are more than 100 artillery depots,” he said.
The senior official added, without going into details: “Therefore, first, the negotiations are already underway. Secondly, they are proceeding at an accelerated pace.”
Remarks of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his videotaped evening speech
• “Ukraine wants to pre-empt Russian attacks on Ukrainian urban areas and civilians.”
• “Ukraine needs long-range missiles to deny the occupier the opportunity to place missile launchers somewhere far from the front line and destroy Ukrainian cities.”
• “Ukraine needs the American-made ATACMS missile, which has a range of 297 kilometers,” noting that Washington has so far refrained from providing this weapon.
Earlier Saturday, the Ukrainian Air Force denied a press report that it intended to acquire 24 combat aircraft from allied countries, saying that talks about possible deliveries were still continuing.
The Spanish newspaper “El Pais” quoted Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat as saying that Ukraine is initially seeking to obtain two squadrons consisting of 12 aircraft each, and that it would prefer the aircraft to be “F-16”.
But in a statement sent to the Ukrainian online newspaper, Babel, on Saturday, Ehnat said his remarks during a press briefing had been “misinterpreted.”
Ehnat had mentioned during his press briefing that the F-16 might be the perfect choice, as a multi-role fighter, to replace the country’s current fleet of aging Soviet-era warplanes.
On Thursday, White House Deputy National Security Adviser John Weiner said that the United States would study “very carefully” the idea of supplying planes with Kyiv and its allies, while the German Defense Minister ruled out a few days ago the idea of sending planes to Ukraine.
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