Zelenskyy announces new talks to strengthen Ukraine's air defense

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced upcoming discussions next week aimed at bolstering the country's air defense capabilities, according to his Telegram post on August 10. Zelenskyy expressed his commitment to diplomatic efforts, stating that there will be fresh contacts with intermediaries to explore necessary measures and proposals.

Moreover, Zelenskyy confirmed discussions with the Armed Forces' Commander-in-Chief, Mykhailo Drapatyi, regarding the defense of Ukrainian cities and potential strikes on Russian soil. He emphasized that Russia's war would increasingly impact Russia itself, hinting at a potential escalation of the conflict.

Zelenskyy also noted that Russian air defense systems and radar stations were targeted in recent weeks, along with Russian infrastructure in the Azov and Black Sea regions. He attributed the ongoing conflict to Russia's reluctance to end the war. In a separate interview with United News telethon on August 8, Zelenskyy expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of a 40-day influence operation against Russia, which he claimed inflicted trillions of rubles worth of damage to Russian logistics.

However, he cautioned that it was premature to discuss the broad deployment of a Ukrainian ballistic missile, even though a potential first combat use could occur as early as this fall.