NATO and Ukraine Set to Discuss Defense Strategies Following Russia’s Hypersonic Missile Launch
Next week, NATO and Ukraine will convene in Brussels to discuss Russia’s recent launch of an experimental hypersonic missile, according to diplomatic sources.
This assembly of the NATO-Ukraine Council is scheduled for Tuesday and will take place at the ambassadorial level.
The meeting was initiated by Ukraine in response to the missile strike that struck the city of Dnipro, officials reported.
A NATO spokeswoman stated, “The deployment of such a missile won’t alter the conflict’s trajectory or dissuade NATO allies from backing Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky characterized Russia’s introduction of this new missile as a “stark and significant escalation” in the ongoing conflict and has called for universal denunciation.
“This action signifies a marked and serious escalation regarding the scale and brutality of this war,” Zelensky expressed on the platform X.
“Russia’s choice to employ a ballistic missile against Ukraine today just underscores its disregard for any notion of peace,” he added.
He further urged, “The global community must react decisively. Currently, the world isn’t responding forcefully enough.”
In a televised address, President Putin claimed that Russia’s use of the new hypersonic missile was a direct response to U.S. and British missiles deployed by Kyiv against Russian targets.
Zelensky remarked on X that Putin’s admission regarding the new weapon represented another layer of escalation in a conflict that has surpassed 1,000 days, especially following the recent deployment of North Korean troops on Russian territory.
In a notable turn of events, Ukrainian forces have begun firing missiles, supplied by both the U.S. and the U.K., into Russian territory, intensifying the already heightened tensions in this nearly three-year-long war.
To delve deeper: What sort of ICBM has Ukraine reported Russia deploying?
In recent developments, the Sumy regional military administration confirmed two fatalities resulting from Russian strikes and noted that twelve individuals sustained injuries.
In an alarming incident, Russian aerial attacks claimed at least two lives in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, as reported by the city’s acting mayor.
Artem Kobzar, in a video addressed to citizens via Telegram, indicated that air defense systems were still operational as dawn approached, urging residents to steer clear of windows for their safety.
The Sumy regional military administration detailed that a residential area was targeted by a Russian UAV, confirming ongoing rescue operations.
Authorities verified the deaths and reported that twelve individuals had been wounded.
Located just across from Russia’s Kursk region, Sumy has become a focal point since Ukrainian forces managed to reclaim substantial territory there after launching a significant ground offensive in August.
In recent weeks, Russia has relentlessly bombarded the area and its crucial infrastructure, leading to devastating casualties.
In a tragic overnight drone strike on Tuesday in Hlukhiv, a small town within the Sumy region, twelve people lost their lives, among them a child.
Furthermore, on Sunday night, a missile barrage on Sumy resulted in eleven deaths and left eighty-nine others injured, also plunging the region’s administrative center into darkness.
As tensions soar and violence escalates, the situation in Ukraine demands urgent global attention, echoing Zelensky’s call for a robust international response. It’s critical that the world acknowledges these developments and acts accordingly, lest the conflict deepen further.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
