This week’s escalation also prompted several warnings from other world leaders about the direction of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the war is entering a decisive stage – with a real risk of a global conflict.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, meanwhile, said that the West should take Vladimir Putin’s warnings “at face value” because Russia “bases its policy primarily on military power.”
And in North Korea Leader Kim Jong-un warned that the threat of nuclear war was “never before” and accused the US of an “aggressive and hostile” policy towards Pyongyang.
North Korea sent thousands of soldiers to fight on the side of Russia, and Ukrainian forces reported clashes with them in the Kursk region of Russia, where Ukrainian troops occupied a certain area.
US President Biden said he gave Ukraine permission to use longer-range Atacms missiles against targets in Russia in response to Moscow’s use of North Korean troops.
Both Russia and Ukraine are trying to secure an advantage on the battlefield before Donald Trump becomes president of the United States in January.
Trump promised to end the war within hours, but did not provide details on how.
In his overnight address, Zelensky also criticized China for its response to Moscow’s new missile after China’s foreign ministry said all sides should “keep calm and exercise restraint”.
“On Russia’s part, this is a mockery of the position of states like China, states of the Global South, some leaders who call for restraint every time,” he said.
He also criticized the Ukrainian parliament for postponing its session on Friday due to security concerns after the Dnipro attack.
In a message on Telegram, he said that unless the airstrike signal is sounded, everyone should work as usual – and not take the Russian threats as a “day off”.
“The siren sounds – we go to the shelter. If there is no siren – we work and serve. It is not otherwise in war,” he said.
