NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg hinted at potentially providing more heavy weapons for Ukraine soon after praising recent pledges made by Western allies to the embattled European country.
The remarks came a day after a wave of Russian attacks across Ukraine again targeted critical infrastructure and left at least 30 people dead after a residential building in the east-central city of Dnipro was struck.
Heavy Weapons for Ukraine
The head of the transatlantic military alliance said that the recent pledges of heavy weapons for Ukraine were significant, noting that he was expecting more deliveries in the future. He made the remarks ahead of a scheduled meeting on Friday that would include defense officials from the bloc.
The authorities are set to coordinate arms transfers to Kyiv to help it fight against Russia's continued invasion. What the military alliance refers to as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group is set to gather for a third meeting in the US Ramstein Air Base in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany on Friday, as per Aljazeera.
Stoltenberg was also asked whether or not Germany must move to provide heavier weapons to Kyiv, and he responded by saying that they were in a "decisive phase" of the war. He added that officials were anticipating more fierce fighting, prompting an increased need for weapon assistance to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday called for more heavy weapons from the West, saying that Russian "terror" could only be stopped on the battlefield. During his nightly address, he added that the weapons stored in the warehouses of Ukraine's partners were needed to end the aggression.
Zelensky's remarks came shortly after United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged a delivery Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. It was the first Western country to supply heavy tanks to support Kyiv's battle against Russia.
Russia-Ukraine War
The death toll from the Russian missile strike targeting a tower block in Dnipro has risen once, now reported at 30. Residents continued to dig through rubble in search of survivors who could have been trapped underneath, according to Channel News Asia.
On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the claimed taking of Soledar in eastern Ukraine as a major success. During a Sunday interview, Putin said there was a positive dynamic and noted that everything was going according to their plans.
In a statement this week, Russia's defense ministry said it had already completed the liberation of Soledar. If confirmed, it could be considered a key gain as Moscow's military forces continue to push towards the nearby transport crossroads of Bakhmut.
On the other hand, Ukrainian authorities have continued to deny the Russians' claims, insisting that in Soledar, heavy fighting continues. The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces were unlikely to be still able to hold their positions within the settlement of Soledar itself.
If Russia has taken some victory in Soledar, it would be the first after several months of setbacks against the Ukrainian military. Both sides have also conceded heavy losses in the battle for the region, said France24.
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