Russia launched a wave of rocket and drone assaults towards a number of areas of Ukraine on Saturday morning, a day after the U.Okay. introduced a safety pact with Kyiv and billions extra towards Ukraine’s warfare effort.
Saturday’s Russian barrage got here as France’s newly appointed Overseas Minister Stéphane Séjourné arrived in Kyiv and pledged extra French help for Ukraine.
The strikes on Saturday included highly effective Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, the Ukrainian Air Power mentioned.
Ukrianian air defenses recorded a complete of 40 assaults on Saturday, of which 37 have been missiles and three have been drones, throughout the areas of Kyiv, Dnipropetrovs’okay, Chernihiv, Poltava and Ivano-Frankivsk, the Air Power instructed Reuters.
Ukraine mentioned it destroyed eight missiles and downed others utilizing radio-electronic disruption. A number of buildings have been broken, with no casualties reported to date.
The strikes come as European politicians journey to Kyiv to vow extra help in 2024, amid dwindling Ukrainian provides of air-defense rockets and fears that U.S. assist has stalled because of a blocked Congress and this yr’s presidential election.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday dedicated £2.5 billion (€2.9 billion) in army help to Ukraine for 2024/2025, because the U.Okay. chief met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. The 2 international locations additionally signed a bilateral safety settlement, the primary multi-year assure that Ukraine has obtained from an ally.
France’s Séjourné, named overseas minister in a authorities reshuffle on Thursday, arrived in Kyiv by practice on Saturday, telling reporters that “France will help Ukraine over the long run economically, militarily and humanitarily.” Paris has been one of many EU’s lowest contributors to Ukraine to date.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk additionally plans a visit, saying he will likely be in Kyiv on Monday. Warsaw emerged as a powerful ally to Kyiv when Russia first invaded, but relations deteriorated final yr over claims Ukrainian truckers and meals exports are harming the Polish economic system.