Zelenskyy Proposes Joint Air Shields With European Allies

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy/PHOTO via X @ZelenskyyUa

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his desire to build a shared air defense shield to protect himself with his allies in Europe from Russian threats.

NATO leaders say Russia has tested the alliance's readiness and determination by carrying out airstrikes in Poland and Baltic countries, and Kyiv said its experience in dealing with air threats would be invaluable.

"Ukraine proposed to Poland and all of our partners to build a joint shield that is fully reliable against Russian air threats," he said in a speech at the Warsaw Security Forum delivered via video link.

"This is possible. Ukraine can fight all kinds of Russian drones and missiles, and if we act together in this region, we will have enough weapons and production capacity," he continued.

Asked about Donald Trump, Zelenskyy said the US President's stance on Ukraine and security in Europe had changed.

"To this day, in my opinion, President Trump's stance is completely balanced and supports Ukraine's stance, although no doubt he wants to remain a mediator between us and Russia to end this war," Zelenskyy said.