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Ukraine presents drone-missiles, with a range of up to 700 km

2024-12-07 11:06:51, Kosova & Bota CNA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday unveiled the new weapon, the Peklo drone missiles, which are being produced at a Ukrainian factory, the first batch of which, he said, had already been delivered to the country's armed forces.

In footage circulated from his office, President Zelenskyy can be seen visiting the factory at an undisclosed location, along with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi and other officials.

In a post on his X social network account, Mr. Zelenskyy said the name of the hybrid missile, which is also a drone, means "hell" in Ukrainian. The new weapon has a range of 700 kilometers and a speed of 700 km/h. He said that he has already seen the combat effectiveness of this weapon.

Ukrainian officials said the drones are low-cost and comparable in performance to some Russian-made self-guided missiles.

"It is essential that our defenders receive such a modern weapon, manufactured in Ukraine," says Mr. Zelenskyy in the recorded message. "Now the task is to continue to increase production and deployment."

Friday was the Day of the Armed Services of Ukraine and President Zelenskyy gave a speech to the military.

"Respect. Gratitude. Honor. That's what our people feel when it comes to you. When our people hear about you, when they see you, watch you destroy the enemy, his missiles, his drones, his bases, his arrogance," said the Ukrainian president.

When Russia started the war in Ukraine, Mr. Zelenskyy said that at that time Ukraine "had no HIMARS missiles, no Patriot missiles, no F-16 jets, and many others were missing. But we had you. Ukrainian fighters... you hold the line of freedom... because of you, everyone stands, Ukraine is held, thanks to you, Ukrainian fighters”.

On Thursday, Ukraine's Defense Ministry announced plans to supply the armed forces with over 30,000 long-range attack drones by 2025, with funding provided by international partners. In a statement, the ministry said the drones operate autonomously and can hit enemy targets with high precision.

The Ukrainian Ministry made these agreements taking into account that the term of American President Joe Biden is ending and the future administration of President-elect Donald Trump presents uncertainty in this regard. President-elect Trump has expressed skepticism about continued support and has said he would resolve the war before his inauguration on January 20, but without saying how.

A spokesman for the US National Security Council told reporters that national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, at the White House on Thursday to discuss the future of US support for Ukraine.

The spokesman said the meeting lasted over an hour, while Mr. Sullivan focused on President Biden's theory that improving Ukraine's position in the war against Russia would allow Ukraine to enter a future negotiation process on strong terms.

The spokesman said Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Yermak discussed the United States' strategic support for Ukraine, including increasing military aid and economic pressure on Russia through sanctions, addressing the challenge of the Ukrainian recruit shortage and continued support for Ukraine's economy.

To implement this strategy, the spokesman noted that the United States will provide the Ukrainian military with hundreds of thousands of additional artillery shells, thousands of additional missiles and hundreds of additional armored vehicles between now and January.

They also noted the sweeping wave of sanctions imposed by the United States on Russia's financial sector and that more sanctions would follow in the coming weeks, all designed to make it harder for Russia to continue its war on her in Ukraine.

Mr Sullivan and Mr Yermak reportedly discussed a US proposal to train any newly mobilized soldiers at training sites outside Ukraine.

And to help Ukraine's economy in the coming months, the spokesman said the United States is finalizing a $20 billion Emergency Revenue Acceleration loan agreement between governments, backed by the proceeds of Russian frozen funds.

The spokesman for the National Security Council said the strategy is designed to improve Ukraine's position in the war for the coming year and lay the groundwork for a negotiated settlement "that ensures an independent, sovereign and democratic Ukraine"./ VOA