Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the supply of the long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) “vital” in a speech on Saturday evening.
“We will do everything we can to ensure that our partners open up this vital supply, especially ATACMS and other similar weapons,” Zelensky said. “Because to protect lives; to protect cities like Kostyantynivka or Kharkov.”
The surface-to-surface missiles can travel about 200 miles, about four times as far as the rocket used in the HIMARS mobile system that the US began launching into Ukraine four months ago.
Three people were killed and 14 others were wounded in an attack on the city of Kostyanivka in the Donetsk region early Saturday, Zelensky said. He called shelling on Ukrainian soil “a daily occurrence” and said, “There is no taboo in providing weapons to prevent Russian terrorist attacks.”
The United States has refused to send ATACMS to Ukraine due to concerns that they could be used to attack targets inside Russia.
New sanctions: Zelensky also mentioned that he imposed new sanctions on “185 legal entities and individuals that Russia uses to transport personnel and military equipment by rail.”
“Their assets in Ukraine are frozen, and their existing property will be used for our defense. We will work to ensure that other countries adopt similar blockade measures,” Zelensky said.
Pressure on the IOC: Ukraine’s president has sent a letter to the president of the International Federation calling for a reconsideration of the IOC’s decision to allow Russian athletes to return to international competition.
Once “Russian athletes show up at international competitions, it’s only a matter of time before they start justifying Russia’s aggression and using symbols of terror,” Zelensky argued.
He called the IOC’s decision “unprincipled flexibility”.