Ukrainian president puts pressure on West at Moldova conference

Mr. Zelensky puts pressure on the West

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 1 that he had received strong support from leaders of countries attending a conference in Moldova regarding the issue of providing fighter jets to help Kyiv repel Russian forces.

Chiến sự ngày 463: Tổng thống Ukraine gây sức ép với phương Tây tại hội nghị Moldova - Ảnh 1. — Mr. Zelensky accompanied a number of European leaders in Moldova on June 1.

Zelensky made the remarks at a news conference after a summit of more than 40 European leaders in Moldova, although he did not elaborate, according to Reuters. The leader has long asked Western partners to provide Ukraine with fighter jets, a request that has so far been withheld due to fears of a backlash from Russia.

Earlier at the conference, the Ukrainian president asked NATO members to make a clear decision on whether to admit Ukraine or not, as well as re-called on the West to send Patriot air defense systems and fighter jets to protect Ukrainian skies.

"This year is a year for decisions. This summer in Vilnius, at the NATO summit, there must be a clear invitation to Ukraine from the members and security guarantees on the way to NATO membership," Zelensky said, referring to a NATO leaders' meeting in the Lithuanian capital in mid-July.

NATO members are now showing clearly divided positions on pushing ahead with Ukraine’s accession to the alliance, with some countries concerned that a hasty move could bring the alliance closer to direct confrontation with Russia.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland, a leading supporter of Ukraine, said at a press conference that Warsaw would help Kyiv train F-16 fighter pilots, but Warsaw had too few Patriot batteries to provide Kyiv.

Pentagon buys Starlink service for Ukraine

The Pentagon said on June 1 that Starlink, the satellite communications service founded by billionaire Elon Musk, now has a contract with the US Department of Defense to provide those satellite services to Ukraine.

"We continue to work with a variety of global partners to ensure Ukraine has the resilient satellite systems and communications capabilities it needs. Satellite communications form a critical layer in Ukraine's overall communications network, and the Department contracts with Starlink for services of this type," Reuters quoted the Pentagon's statement.

The satellite system from Starlink, a subsidiary of Mr Musk’s SpaceX, has been used by the Ukrainian military for a variety of efforts, including battlefield communications.

SpaceX, through private donations and under a separate contract with a US foreign aid agency, has provided Ukrainians and their military with Starlink internet service, a rapidly growing network of more than 4,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit, since the conflict erupted in 2022.

The Pentagon contract is a victory for SpaceX after Mr. Musk said in October 2022 that it could not afford to indefinitely fund Starlink service in Ukraine, an effort he said cost $20 million a month to maintain.

The Pentagon did not disclose the terms of the contract, first reported by Bloomberg, “due to operational security and the critical nature of these systems.”

Russian territory is constantly under artillery fire

The Russian Defense Ministry said it had repelled three cross-border attacks near the town of Shebekino in Russia’s Belgorod region on June 1, Russian news agencies reported. The ministry also said more than 30 Ukrainian fighters were killed, along with four armored vehicles destroyed.

The Russian Defense Ministry made the statement after Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Ukrainian forces shelled the border town of Shebekino with Soviet-era Grad rocket systems, setting an apartment building in the town on fire. He said the attack also damaged the local administration building and injured one resident.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Gladkov wrote on the Telegram messaging app that the number of people injured in the Ukrainian shelling of the town of Shebekino had risen to eight, according to TASS news agency.

Ukraine did not immediately comment on the incident but has never publicly acknowledged attacking Russian territory.

Capital Kyiv faces new attack

Ukraine's air defense forces said on June 1 that they had shot down all 10 ballistic and cruise missiles launched from Russia's Bryansk region, in the 18th attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv since early May, Reuters reported.

The Kyiv government said three people were killed and 10 wounded in the new attack, but did not say how they died. Witnesses said the three died because the shelter door they ran to after hearing the air raid siren did not open.

According to The Guardian , the mayor of Kyiv has suspended the relevant officials to investigate the "locked" bunker door incident.

US speaks out about UAV attack on Moscow

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on May 31 that the Biden administration did not know who was responsible for the UAV attack in Moscow in the early morning of May 30, according to Reuters.

Mr Kirby said the US did not have "specific information that tells us who was responsible", and Washington had no plans to investigate the incident.

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