The NATO Secretary General said he was “confident” that Ukraine could regain ground against the Russians.
The day after his visit to Kiev, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he was “confident” about Ukraine’s ability to regain ground on Russia. For its part, Ukraine continues to put pressure on the West to obtain the delivery of weapons and combat aircraft. Franceinfo takes stock of what to remember from the day on the war front.
NATO chief says he is “confident” that Ukraine can regain ground
A sign of hope for Ukrainians. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke on Friday, April 21, saying he was “confident” that Ukraine, in the process of preparing a counter-offensive, could regain ground against the Russians. “I am confident that they (the Ukrainians) will now be able to free up even more ground”he told the press on the sidelines of a meeting of Ukraine’s supporters at the American base in Ramstein (Germany).
Fighter deliveries at the heart of discussions
Volodymyr Zelensky, urged Jens Stoltenberg to help him “overcome reluctance” Ukrainian allies regarding the delivery of fighter jets. Germany is particularly reluctant. Slovakia and Poland have also started delivering Soviet-designed Mig-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. But sending Western-made planes is yet to be discussed.
The European Union also had to reassure Ukraine on Friday. Its head of diplomacy, Josep Borrell, affirmed in Brussels that the EU “keeps its promises”. The Twenty-Seven promised in March an allocation of one billion euros for ammunition taken from existing stocks, and a second billion for joint purchasing contracts with European companies.
Night attack by Russian drones on kyiv, most of the planes shot down
The Ukrainian Air Force announced that it had shot down eight of the 12 Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia launched, including on kyiv, overnight. “After a 25-day respite, the Ukrainian capital experienced a new enemy air attack”said on Telegram the head of the military administration of kyiv, Sergey Popko.
Eight drones were shot down “approaching” of the city, without causing casualties or destruction, according to preliminary data, he said. On the other hand, infrastructure in the regions of Poltava (center) and Vinnytsia (center-west) were affected, according to the respective governors.
Two injured in Russia after ammunition fell from a fighter plane
Local officials reported a powerful explosion in the Russian town of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine, overnight from Thursday to Friday. According to them, the explosion left a crater in the center and injured two women. Moscow said one of its fighter jets lost ammunition over the city. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the incident was caused by “an abnormal fall of aviation ammunition”.