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Zelensky dismisses Armed Forces' Support Forces commander appointed in March
Yakovets was appointed the Support Forces commander on March 4, replacing Dmytro Hereha. Yakovets previously held an administrative position in the Support Forces.
Zelensky signed another decree on Yakovets on April 26, appointing him the head of Ukraine's Special Transport Service. The president also dismissed Bohdan Bondar, who had led the unit since March 2022.
The State Special Transport Service is a unit of the Defense Ministry. Its responsibilities include building, repairing, and protecting the national transportation system's facilities.
Yakovets started his military career in 1992, took part in Ukraine's Anti-Terrorist Operation against Russian-backed militants in the Donbas, and received several state awards.
- Zelensky began to reshuffle Ukraine's military command in February, dismissing Ukraine's top military commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
The U.S.-led UDCG comprises over 50 countries, including all 31 NATO members, and meets regularly to coordinate military aid for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
Friday, April 26
8:24 pm
US to allocate additional $6 billion in aid to provide Ukraine with weapons.
The U.S. will allocate $6 billion in military assistance for Kyiv under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on April 26.
7:40 pm
Zelensky dismisses Armed Forces' Support Forces commander appointed in March.
- “We need the ability to shoot down the air combat aircraft so that they do not approach our positions and borders,” Zelensky said
- US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the meeting would focus on Ukraine’s air defense capabilities
WASHINGTON: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday called for additional air defense systems to be sent to Kyiv to help protect against Russian strikes, adding that a pause in US funding had helped Moscow seize the initiative.
- US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the meeting would focus on Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.
The meeting comes days after Congress emerged from a half-year of deadlock to approve a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. President Joe Biden’s administration quickly announced $1 billion in artillery, air defenses and other hardware would soon be heading to Ukrainian front lines.
- “While we were waiting for a decision on the American support, the Russian army managed to seize the initiative on the battlefield,” Zelensky said.
- “We can still now, not only stabilize the front, but also move forward achieving our Ukrainian goals in the war,” he added.
The United States hopes its new deliveries of weaponry will help Ukraine rebuild defenses and refit its forces as it recovers from a gap in US assistance, but it does not expect Kyiv to launch large-scale offensive operations against Russian forces in the near term.
The influx of weapons could improve Kyiv’s chances of averting a major Russian breakthrough in the east, just over two years since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion, military analysts say.
But it remains unclear how much pressure Kyiv can apply on Russia after months of rationing artillery as its stocks ran low. Kyiv also faces manpower shortages on the battlefield and questions linger over the strength of its fortifications along a sprawling, 1,000-km (621-mile) front line.
Zelensky: Ukraine to discuss problems created by delayed US aid during Ramstein summit
After months of political infighting, the U.S. House of Representatives finally passed the crucial foreign aid package on April 20, which includes $60.84 billion for Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden first requested Congress approve the aid last October. In the six months Ukraine waited for the bill to be passed, Russia has made significant territorial gains and dramatically increased aerial attacks on civilian areas and infrastructure.
"We are preparing for tomorrow's Ramstein meeting and will discuss, among other things, how to overcome the difficulties and problems that have accumulated over the past six months while we have been waiting for decisions on American support," Zelensky said.
"Politically, we have already achieved the support. Now we need to work on filling the packages with the necessary weapons and ensuring logistics."
After Biden officially signed the bill, Zelensky promised that Kyiv "will do everything" to compensate for the six months that passed "in debate and doubt."
"All his (Putin's) actions at the front, all his attacks on our energy sector and infrastructure, all his terror against our cities and villages – all this should mobilize us, everyone in the world who really values life, to put more pressure on Russia."
Russia has stepped up targeted attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in the spring, overwhelming local air defenses and destroying some of Ukraine's largest coal-fired power stations.
The Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), which will be held online on April 26, exactly two years after the first summit of this format was held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
The U.S.-led UDCG comprises over 50 countries, including all 31 NATO members, and meets regularly to coordinate military aid for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
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