Zelensky confirmed this last month Ukraine used long-range missiles supplied by the USA for the first time to strike Russian targets in the east of the country.
For several months, Ukraine has been fighting to push back Russian troops that were slowly advancing in the eastern Donetsk region towards the key city of Pokrovsk, the main supply center for Ukrainian forces.
Moscow also massively increased the number of drone strikes in Ukraine. More than 2,000 were launched in October, according to the General Staff of Ukraine – a record number for the entire war.
saturday night Russia launched what is believed to be the largest coordinated assault in recent monthsat least 10 people died. According to Zelensky, about 120 missiles and 90 drones were launched.
Attacks continued on Sunday evening, with officials in Sumy region – near the Russian border – reporting eight more dead, including two children, after a rocket hit a residential building.
Russian officials in the border region of Bran reported a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday night, but said the defense shot down 26 drones.
Ukraine has argued for months that its allies have not provided the country with enough support to effectively defend itself.
Joe Biden, who will leave the White House in January, sought to speed up further aid to Ukraine.
There are fears that his successor, Donald Trump, will slow or end any further support. He called military support a waste of US resources and made it clear he would end the war, without explaining how that would happen.
The US was the largest supplier of weapons to Ukraine. Between the start of the war and the end of June 2024, it has delivered or committed to sending $55.5bn (£41.5bn) worth of arms and equipment, according to the Kiel Institute for World Economics, a German think tank.