President Volodymyr Zelensky held a day of meetings on the situation on the front lines on April 30, calling for Western allies to speed up deliveries of critically needed military aid.
Speaking during his daily address, Zelensky said the front should not be dominated by Moscow's forces "but by our Ukrainian initiative - our air defense, our artillery, our drones."
"We need a significant acceleration of supply to significantly increase the capabilities of our warfighters," he added.
Ukraine has faced a worsening situation on the battlefield in recent weeks as well as an increase in successful Russian aerial attacks, both compounded by delays in Western assistance, particularly the months-long wait for the latest U.S. aid package. The European Union also fell short of its target of providing Ukraine with one million rounds of artillery shells by March.
"We greatly count on the promptness of the supply from the United States," Zelensky said, adding: "A supply that must be felt in the destroyed logistics of the occupier, in their fear of being based anywhere in the occupied territory."
He added that every repulsed Russian attack "is an approach to the day when even the crazies in the Kremlin will realize that they cannot break Ukraine."
Zelensky said he had held several meetings on April 30 on military matters and had discussed Ukraine's plans both to "disrupt the Russian plans and to achieve our goals" after receiving a report from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
He also said he had discussed weapons supplies and communications with international partners with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Russian forces have recently intensified offensive operations in the east of Ukraine, occupying multiple villages after the capture of Avdiivka in February.
The Russian military leadership set a goal to capture the town of Chasiv Yar, just west of the Russian-occupied Bakhmut, by May 9, according to Syrskyi.
Elsewhere, Ukraine has allocated a further Hr 15.5 billion ($391 million) to purchasing drones for the country's armed forces, enough to buy 300,000, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on April 30.
Drones have been a key tool in Ukraine's defense against Russia's war. Zelensky has said that surpassing Russia in drone operations is one of the top priorities in 2024.
Stanislav Storozhenko
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