‘Belarus takes the lead in shooting down Russian drones’ – Zelensky

In his speech at Yalta European Strategy Forum on Friday, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky vented his frustration over the Western allies’ delaying the decision to allow Ukraine hit deeper into Russia’s territory with long range missiles.  He bitterly joked that at this point “Belarus is taking the lead in shooting down Russian drones’.

“It’s humiliating for the powerful democratic world that no decision has been made yet to shoot down Russian drones over Ukraine. The fact that only Belarus has managed to do so? I didn’t expect this. It’s honestly quite embarrassing,” added Zelensky bitterly.

“If our allies can unite to take down rockets and drones over the Middle East, then why is there still no similar action to shoot down Russian missiles and ‘Shaheds’ over Ukraine?” he questioned, driving home the point. “And it’s not just over Ukraine – these missiles and drones are flying toward neighboring countries too.”

Zelensky’s words echoed the growing bitterness in Kyiv – Ukrainian officials have been banging the drum for months, urging partners not to sidestep the issue. “When we raise this [issue] with our partners, everyone just tries to talk their way around it. They’re even afraid to say, ‘We’re working on it.’ Afraid of those very words,” Zelensky said, his disappointment evident.