Zelenskyy: NATO should shoot down Russian rockets over Ukraine
The Russian Air Force is causing heavy damage in Ukraine. The Ukrainian air defense is not able to keep up with the constant rocket attacks. President Zelenskyy is calling for direct intervention from the West and specifically mentions Germany. Scholz, however, is signaling rejection.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used the European summit in Great Britain to once again emphasize his demand for more support in defending against Russian air attacks. At the meeting of almost 50 state and government leaders in Oxford, he urged Western allies to shoot down Russian rockets and drones over Ukraine using their own means. "There must be a collective will to do this, just as there was with Iranian rockets and drones (in Israel)", he said.
Zelenskyy stressed that, in his view, this was not an attack on Russia. Rockets and drones were not carriers of state sovereignty. "These steps must be taken", Zelenskyy said and directly addressed the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Poland. "Your courage can be decisive for peace." In April, an Iranian large-scale attack of over 300 rockets and drones on Israel was also repelled with the help of US, British, and French combat jets and air defense systems.
Poland had already proposed such action by NATO allies to intercept Russian rockets over western Ukraine on Ukrainian initiative. However, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg rejected this. "We will not become a party to the conflict. Therefore, we support Ukraine in destroying Russian aircraft, but NATO will not be directly involved", the Norwegian emphasized last week.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who participated in the summit, also rejects such action. He is also against further relaxation of the deployment rules for Western weapons delivered to Ukraine. Zelenskyy, however, confirmed at the summit that he would like to target military airfields on Russian territory with this, from which Ukraine is being attacked. "The fewer restrictions we have for the weapons deployment, the more peace Russia will seek", Zelenskyy urged.
Britain against conditions for weapons use
Support came from British Foreign Minister David Lammy. "It is important that Ukraine makes its own decisions about its operations while it is fighting this war and its young men and women are at the front", the Labour politician told the German Press Agency in response to a question about a general lifting of restrictions on the use of Western weapons.
The USA, Germany, and other allies granted Ukraine permission in late May to attack defensive positions on Russian territory to protect the metropolis of Kharkiv. However, Scholz does not want to go further. "No one is advocating a change in the existing guidelines and regulations - for good reason", Scholz said at the conclusion of the NATO summit.
Russia and Belarus not present
The European Political Community (EPC) summit is taking place at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, the famous university city of Oxford. In this informal group, the 27 countries of the European Union came together with other countries on the continent two years ago, shortly after the Russian attack on Ukraine, to share their values. Russia and Belarus are not part of this. They remain excluded from the fourth summit of this kind.
To the attendees, Britain's King Charles III joined in the afternoon. In the opulent library of the castle, he invited them to a reception. As with previous summits, the Russian offensive war was the dominant topic. At the summit, Ukraine signed security agreements with the Czech Republic and Slovenia, which will be valid for an initial ten years.
Such agreements, which the attacked country had previously concluded with nearly two dozen countries, including Germany, and the EU, serve primarily to reinforce the military and financial aid already granted, but they do not provide security guarantees.
Orban calls for peace negotiations
The host, Britain's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer, assured Ukraine of permanent support. "You have no doubts: We will be with you as long as it is necessary," he told Zelensky. For Starmer, who was elected less than two weeks ago, it was the second opportunity to prove himself on a large international stage after the NATO summit. He is keen to repair the relationship with European partners in the wake of Brexit. The talk is of a new start in the relationship with Europe.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who recently caused unease among EU partners with his trips to Moscow and Beijing, continued his advocacy for peace negotiations at the summit. "I believe there is no solution to this conflict on the battlefield," he said.
Scholz reiterated that Orban had traveled to Russia and China on his own account. "If a head of government of a country travels to other countries, that's okay. But then he does not represent the European Union."
Zelenskyy urged Western allies, including Germany, to intercept Russian rockets and drones over Ukraine using their own means during the European summit. However, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg rejected this, stating that NATO will not become a party to the conflict. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz also shared this rejection and sought to maintain existing guidelines for the deployment of Western weapons to Ukraine. In contrast, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy expressed a desire to target military airfields on Russian territory with less restriction on weapon deployment. British Foreign Minister David Lammy supported Zelenskyy's stance, advocating for Ukraine to make its own decisions about operations while fighting the war. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, meanwhile, continued his push for peace negotiations at the summit.
