Zelensky to press Nato for air defence systems after intense Russian strikes

Campaign targets have been high-profile.

St Petersburg was hit by drones ahead of Putin’s flashy economic forum in June. Later, attacks were also carried out on Moscow, and videos of the explosions went viral.

There is now a confirmed attack on an oil refinery in Omsk, Siberia, 2500 km from the Ukrainian border. The drone must have flown undetected for hours, which shows how stretched Russia’s own air defenses really are.

Ukraine’s “influence” efforts also include Crimea, the peninsula that Putin captured in 2014 and which is of great personal importance to him.

Ukrainian drones now hit military logistics, oil refineries and power plants there almost daily, causing power outages, fuel and food shortages and an official state of emergency.

One resident told the BBC the situation was “catastrophic” and reminiscent of the turbulent 1990s after the collapse of the USSR.

One of Putin’s biggest claims is that he “saved” the country from this chaos and “raised Russia from its knees”.

Now its all-out war brings danger even to Moscow through drone strikes and widespread fuel rationing.

Therefore, Zelensky will try to convince Trump and explain to NATO that Ukraine has turned the tide in this war and that with the help of the pressure campaign he can force Russia to enter into favorable negotiations for peace.

Trump seems to have been impressed by Ukraine lately, but this week he spoke to Putin on the phone for 90 minutes, giving the Russian leader a chance to tell his own war story first.

First of all, Kiev wants to quickly end this war through “force or diplomacy” before a new harsh winter arrives.

But to have such a chance, Zelensky will argue that Ukraine needs more interceptor missiles to protect its cities and civilians.