Ukraine tells Trump to emulate Reagan as Putin readies major spring offensive – POLITICO Europe

He saw the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraines second largest, as the most likely target for the main thrust of an assault. Kharkiv has come in for an especially ferocious battering and and large-scale Russian attacks have wrecked its power plants.

We know that Putin is preparing a new wave of mobilization and we reckon new counter-offensive operations by the Russians could start at the end of the May or the beginning of June. Of course, we have to be ready for this, Yermak said. We still critically need additional air-defense systems because without them it is impossible to for us to defend our cities, he added.

Yermak said more Patriot surface-to-air missiles are also needed to defend the front lines, where the Russians are causing massive damage, and some fear tilting the military balance, with aerial guided bombs.

The 1.5-ton bombs are a conversion of an old Soviet-era weapon and are delivered by fighter jets some 70 kilometers from the target then directed by a guidance system, using pop-out wings to glide toward its target. They were were used in the recent Russian offensive in the Donetsk region and played havoc with defenses at Avdiivka, a town in eastern Ukraine that fell to Russia last month.

But once again, the problem for us is of the time, says Yermak. I'd like to emphasize that it's a critical moment now. It's very important the package is approved this month, he added.

Asked about whether Ukraine will heed American pleas to avoid striking Russian oil facilities, Yermak avoided commenting directly. Zelenskyy last week said in an interview with the Washington Post that targeting Russian energy infrastructure is a legitimate military strategy.

Yermak expanded on that, saying that there has to be payback for what the Russians are doing to us. We must ruin their critical infrastructure as the only language they understand is force.

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Ukraine tells Trump to emulate Reagan as Putin readies major spring offensive - POLITICO Europe