Ukrains Call for Powerful Weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for months for more powerful weapons to deploy against Russia’s invading forces. He will press his case directly today to the leaders of allies including the US, UK, France, and Germany. He may find his requests continue to be met with high caution.

Causes: The barrage of missiles that Russia unleashed on multiple cities across Ukraine yesterday (with some follow-up strikes today) was telling of the even darker turn that President Vladimir Putin is taking in a conflict nearing the eight-month mark.

At least 12 Ukrainian cities have been hit in missile strikes two days after a strategically important bridge linking Russia with Crimea was damaged in a blast.

Kyiv has been targeted for the first time in months, but explosions have also been reported in Ternopil and Lviv in the west, which has so far escaped the worst of the war.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has targeted energy infrastructure across the country and that energy facilities in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv are among the places hit. Ukraine's military commander says Russia launched 83 missiles in total.

Effects: Having annexed a swath of Ukrainian territory and as he mobilizes hundreds of thousands more Russian men (and as his military regroups again in neighboring ally Belarus), Putin is digging in. He needs to defuse the growing shrieks from hardliners at home who are unhappy with the endless setbacks for Russian troops on the ground. Putin is also warning of potential escalation including the use of nuclear weapons, although there is no sign he is mobilizing his atomic arsenal.

All of that leaves some of Ukraine’s allies leery about actions that might be viewed as a direct provocation by the Kremlin. Especially sending Ukraine more advanced weaponry including NATO-standard tanks, fighter jets, or the ATACMS long-range missile system.


What is in it for you: It is the very dilemma that the US and others — with Putin on the back foot, would such weapons be seen as NATO confronting Moscow. Expect Group of Seven leaders to pledge continued unity and support for Ukraine, as well as to maintain financial and military aid. But they may remain wary about the big-bang weapons that Zelenskiy says he needs the most.

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