NATO Chief Urges for More Weapons to Ukraine as Zelensky Calls for New Sanctions Against Russia Following Missile Strikes

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has urged for more weapons to be sent to Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelensky called for new sanctions against Russia over recent missile strikes.

The Ukrainian leader made his remarks as the Monday attacks on his country resulted in at least 19 people killed and many others injured by Russian missile strikes. Zelensky said that the attacks will only delay the nation's recovery a little bit.

NATO's Support of Ukraine

After more strikes were reported on Tuesday, the official called on the West to find new ways to apply pressure on Moscow and support Kyiv. His remarks came after he met with the G7 group of nations for emergency virtual talks on that same day.

The bloc, consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, promised to provide continuous "financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic, and legal" support to Ukraine for as long as they are needed.

In response, Zelensky said that for Russia's new wave of terror, there should be a new wave of responsibility placed on Moscow. These include new sanctions, new forms of political pressure, and new forms of support for Ukraine, as per BBC.

The Ukrainian president said that the terrorist state, referencing Russia, must be deprived of even the thought of any wave of terror that can provide it with any advantage. Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, said that the attacks were retaliation for Saturday's explosion on a key bridge linking Russia to Crimea.

The situation comes as Western nations have already implemented widespread sanctions against Russian businesses as well as Putin's allies since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.

According to the New York Times, Stoltenberg urged for more air defense systems to be sent to Ukraine, which he said would make a difference in the war because of the incoming missiles from Russia.

Ongoing War

Ukrainian authorities claimed to have shot down roughly half of more than 90 Russian missiles that targeted its territories on Monday. The onslaught is the worst aerial attack that the country has seen in the last few months.

Officials also noted on Tuesday that numerous Russian cruise missiles were shot down but said that several targets were still struck, including three power plants in western and central Ukraine. A dozen rockets also hit the embattled southern region of Zaporizhzhia, resulting in the death of at least seven people and hitting a school, medical facility, and car dealership.

Ambassador Julianne Smith said that the NATO military alliance discussed how best to protect Ukrainian infrastructure from the deadly strikes, and officials decided that the best way was with the use of air defense systems.

During a briefing, Smith said that the alliance was now shifting again to air defense, noting that in previous phases, NATO's response focused on what Ukraine needed at specific moments of the war. These were specifically munitions and coastal defense. Air defense will not form the "crux of the alliance's conversation earlier this week in meetings at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Politico reported.