« Wishful thinking will not protect us » – DiePresse.com
Kyiv has reported the largest Russian air raid since the beginning of the war, and several fighter jets rose in Poland. NATO Secretary General Rutte calls for a « quantum leap » in the upgrade.
Vienna/Kyiv. On Monday, several fighter jets rose in the east of Poland. In the western Ukrainian region of Riwne on the border there were severe Russian air strikes. The mayor of the city of Riwne, Oleksandr Tretjak, reported the land to date on the land to date since the Russian attack escalated more than three years ago.
Not only Riwne has been hit: According to the Air Force in Kiev, Russia has exceeded the greatest drone attack so far since the beginning of the war. The Ukraine area was attacked with 479 drones and an additional 20 marching aircraft, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Monday morning. 460 drones and 19 marching aircraft were intercepted.
Increased impacts were found in ten locations. According to the AFP news agency, Ukraine had already reported a nightly Russian attack with 472 drones on June 1st – this night was so far the largest attack on the country. Against the background of an upcoming exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine, which was agreed in the Istanbul talks, the Russian bombings take place. This should have already taken place on the weekend. The head of the Ukrainian military secret service, Kyrylo Budanow, said that the prisoners of war will be exchanged in the course of the coming week.
« Hope is not a strategy »
On Monday reported NATO-General Secretary Mark Rutte. The military alliance must make a « quantum leap » against future threats when drawing up its defense. For a credible deterrent and defense, the alliance in particular needs an improvement in air and rocket defense by 400 percent.
In Ukraine it becomes clear how Russia spreads « terror from the air ». « That is why we will strengthen the protective shield for our airspace, » said Rutte, according to the transcript of his speech at the Thinktank Chatham House. In addition, the armed forces needed thousands of additional armored vehicles and tanks and millions of other artillery floors. Even if the Russian attack war ended in Ukraine, the danger is not over, said Rutte.
At the beginning of June, NATO decided the largest upgrade program since the time of the Cold War. At the end of the month, all members should commit to at least 3.5 percent of their national gross domestic product (GDP) to invest in defense. In addition, 1.5 percent of the GDP for defense -relevant expenses could also come. « We won’t protect wishful thinking. We can’t just dream of the danger, » said Rutte. « Hope is not a strategy. » Therefore, NATO must become a stronger and more powerful alliance.
Duma boss warns Bundestag
The President of the Russian State Duma, Wjatscheslaw Wolodin, warned on Saturday in a message to the German Bundestag about an escalation of the situation between the two countries.
The latest statements by the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Wolodin said: « We know that the German government is planning to build a rocket production in Ukraine. The FRG is increasingly drawn into a military approach to Russia. »
The President of the German Bundestag, Julia Klöckner, replied that the Bundestag could not be put under pressure by Russia. « Neither in his foreign policy stance nor in his historical self-image and its memorial culture » Moscow could intimidate the German Parliament, the CDU politician said in a statement on Wolodin’s warning on Monday. (APA/Zot)
