Putin warns Europe for providing Ukraine with greater military aid

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy got promised $1 billion in military help from the United States on Tuesday. This happened during his quick visit to three European Union countries. At the same time, President Vladimir Putin said that using weapons from the West on Russian land could make the war even more dangerous.

Belgium promised to give money to Ukraine and also said they will provide 30 fighter jets in the next four years.

“We need to use the first F-16 on the battlefield this year to strengthen our positions,” Zelenskyy said.

After that, he went to Portugal and said it was important for Ukraine’s supporters not to be tricked by Russia and to keep fighting the war.

The Russian army is attacking Ukraine in the east and northeast. This is the biggest test for Ukraine’s military since Russia invaded in February 2022.

Ukraine’s Western friends are taking a long time to help them. The US military aid is also delayed. This has made Ukraine vulnerable to Russia’s larger army and air force.

European countries have been talking about sending soldiers to help Ukraine. They have also been discussing giving Ukrainian money that Russia has taken, which has made Russia very angry.

Putin has said many times that the West should not join the fight more, and he has talked about the possibility of a nuclear war.

Putin said that if Ukraine uses powerful weapons from the West to attack Russia, it could make the situation more dangerous. He said this while talking to reporters in Uzbekistan.

Putin said that using these weapons would depend on information from Western intelligence and involve NATO military personnel. He also warned NATO about the potential consequences.

He said that leaders of countries in NATO, especially those in Europe, should be careful about their actions. He also mentioned that smaller countries with crowded populations should be extra cautious.

The Netherlands said they will work fast with important EU countries to put together a Patriot air defense system. Zelenskyy thinks this is very important to stop Russia from attacking Ukraine’s power grid, cities, and also military targets with powerful glide bombs.

NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg said he was glad about the decision, but he also said that there was still a lot of work to do.

“We have seen some improvements, but Ukraine urgently needs more progress and more air defense systems,” said Stoltenberg as he went into a meeting with EU defense ministers.

Before going back to Ukraine, Zelenskyy went to Portugal and signed a new agreement between the two countries. Portugal is not very rich and has a smaller military than other countries in the European Union. The leader of Portugal, Luis Montenegro, said that they are giving more money and military help to Kyiv, which is the capital of Ukraine. This is part of a big plan to work together.

On Monday, Zelenskyy made a deal with Spain to give Ukraine 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) for weapons and soldiers in 2024, and 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) by 2027.

Providing aid to both sides is important because the 27 countries in the group are having trouble getting Hungary to agree to the EU giving a lot of money in military aid to Kyiv.

The Hungarian government led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban has stopped about 6. 5 billion euros ($7 billion) from being used. Orban is known for being a strong supporter of Russia in the European Union. Each individual country has the power to stop decisions, and Hungary has been blocking money meant to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses for a long time.

“We have the money and the ability, but we still need to make decisions about giving aid to Ukraine,” explained Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy leader.

Zelenskyy talked with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, and got money and a security agreement. The agreement means Ukraine will get military help until it joins NATO.

Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs seven more US air defence systems because Russia attacked in Kharkiv.

Putin says that the Russian government’s soldiers are trying to create a “buffer zone” in Kharkiv to stop Ukraine from attacking across the border there.

The Defense Minister of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, met with other EU leaders and said that a Patriot system will be built quickly. The Netherlands has some important parts for the system, and other EU countries will add more parts and weapons.

“Ukraine is also joining Europe in the fight,” she said.

Zelenskyy was going to travel to Belgium and Spain but he had to cancel his trips because Russia attacked Ukraine and the Ukrainian military is facing a difficult situation.

In other news, the head of the UN’s atomic agency was in Kaliningrad, Russia to discuss safety concerns related to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

The Russian army took control of the plant at the beginning of the war. None of the reactors have been running since then. Regular bombing near Europe’s biggest nuclear plant has made people around the world worried about keeping the plant safe from danger.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, met with Alexei Likhachyov, who leads Russia’s nuclear energy company, Rosatom. The Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that Grossi said they agree on what needs to be done to make the nuclear plant safer, but right now it doesn’t seem possible to start it again.

Likhachyov repeated that he wants to reopen the plant, and also promised that it is ” completely safe” as it is now.