All posts tagged: Volodymyr Zelensky

Ukraine forces Russians to surrender using only robots

Ukraine forces Russians to surrender using only robots

Published by Sam Flores

Ukrainian forces have seized a Russian position using only drones and ground-based robots for the first time, Volodymyr Zelensky said. Ukraine’s president claimed that the enemy soldiers surrendered during the operation without any of his troops being put at risk. In an address to mark Ukrainian Gunsmith Day, he said: “For the first time in the history of this war, an enemy position was taken exclusively by unmanned systems – ground systems and drones. “The occupiers surrendered, and the operation was carried out without infantry and without losses on our side.” The proliferation of drones and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) on the battlefield, which can be piloted by human soldiers from a safer location miles away, is rapidly superseding the use of infantry in Ukraine. UGVs are used for a range of missions, including assault operations, evacuating wounded troops from so-called “kill zones” where the risks to human life are almost untenable, detecting and neutralising mines, logistics and supply runs, and reconnaissance. 1601 Droid TW 12.7 machine gun drone More than 280 companies have been …

Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine stalls for first time in more than two years

Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine stalls for first time in more than two years

Published by Sam Flores

Russia’s army recorded no territorial gains on the front line in Ukraine in March for the first time in two and half years, AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) showed. Ukrainian forces managed to recapture 9 square kilometres in March as Moscow’s forces slowed down across the entire front line, according to the analysis. This figure excludes infiltration operations conducted by Russian forces beyond the front line, as well as advances claimed by the Russian side but neither confirmed nor denied by the ISW. To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again © FRANCE 24 The ISW worked with the Critical Threats Project (part of the American Enterprise Institute, or AEI), another US think-tank specialising in conflict. The Russian army has been slowing its advance since late 2025 due …

German weapons chief says Ukrainian army like ‘children playing with Lego’

German weapons chief says Ukrainian army like ‘children playing with Lego’

Published by Sam Flores

The head of Rheinmetall, the German defence company, compared Ukrainian drone producers to housewives and children “playing with Lego”. Armin Papperger, the tough-talking chief executive, made the inflammatory remarks in an American magazine interview as he suggested that Ukraine did not deserve praise for battlefield innovation. When asked how Ukraine had turned drones into some of the deadliest weapons on earth against Russian troops and tanks, Mr Papperger scoffed: “This is how to play with Legos.” He added, in comments to Atlantic magazine, that the biggest producers of drones in Ukraine were housewives working with “3D printers in the kitchen, and they produce parts for the drones … this is not innovation”. The belittlement from Germany’s largest tank producer caused an outcry in Ukraine, with business chiefs, government ministers and even Volodymyr Zelensky, the president, weighing in. “If every housewife in Ukraine can really produce drones, then every housewife in Ukraine can be the chief executive of Rheinmetall,” Mr Zelensky said on Monday, calling on the company to compete with Ukraine on results, not rhetoric. …

Kyiv useful to US, Gulf at critical time: Drone interceptors ‘more effective than Patriot missiles’

Kyiv useful to US, Gulf at critical time: Drone interceptors ‘more effective than Patriot missiles’

Published by Sam Flores

Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Dr Samuel Ramani, Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. According to Dr. Ramani, President Zelensky’s outreach to Gulf states reflects a calculated effort to reposition Ukraine within a shifting global order, where military innovation, energy politics, and diplomatic alignment intersect. This repositioning serves multiple objectives: strengthening ties with ambivalent Gulf actors, reinforcing Ukraine’s strategic value to the United States, and attracting much-needed investment into its defense and technology sectors. Keywords for this article Source link

Zelenskyy courts Saudi support as U.S. reportedly weighs redirecting Ukraine aid to Middle East

Zelenskyy courts Saudi support as U.S. reportedly weighs redirecting Ukraine aid to Middle East

Published by Sam Flores

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Munich, Germany on Feb. 15, 2025. Sean Gallup | Getty Images Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday kicked off a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia, seeking support for Kyiv as the U.S. reportedly weighs shifting military resources to the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran. Zelenskyy met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah to discuss the escalating military tensions in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader said he expected to hold “important meetings” during this trip, as Kyiv offered its air-defense expertise and drone technology to countries in the region reeling from the Iranian strikes. More than 200 Ukrainian experts have been dispatched to advise Middle East countries on how to intercept attacks that have wreaked havoc on energy infrastructure across the region. Zelenskyy is hoping to draw support from the Gulf nations in Kyiv’s war against Russia, which is now in its fifth year and Western military aid faces new uncertainty. Iran’s Shahed-136 ‘kamikaze’ drone has become a fixture of …

‘We will be able to defend Ukraine’ thanks to EU loan: Ambassador Vsevolod Chentsov – Talking Europe

‘We will be able to defend Ukraine’ thanks to EU loan: Ambassador Vsevolod Chentsov – Talking Europe

Published by Sam Flores

As part of FRANCE 24’s and Talking Europe’s coverage of the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine, we host veteran diplomat Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine’s ambassador to the European Union. He highlights the critical assistance the EU is providing for the country’s military, budgetary, and energy needs, saying that the solidarity shown by Ukraine’s European allies “cannot be underestimated”. On the fourth anniversary of full-scale war, Chentsov says that Ukrainians “again feel this feeling of strong support and solidarity with Ukraine. The unity of Europe is there. The role of European institutions and member states cannot be underestimated.” Faced with a particularly harsh winter and Russian missile attacks, Chentsov points to the EU’s crucial help in the energy sector. “The EU has managed to mobilise more than €3 billion for energy support since February 2022; emergency purchases, generators, transformers and so on.” Chentsov highlights that Ukraine now faces “a very difficult combination of very low temperatures and depleted stocks of missiles to hit Russian ballistic missiles and drones”. On the landmark EU loan for Ukraine …

Trump issues stark 6-word warning to Zelensky | World | News

Trump issues stark 6-word warning to Zelensky | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

Donald Trump is mounting pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky over a peace deal, as Russia continues to target Ukrainian cities. The US president said his Ukrainian counterpart is “going to have to get moving” if he wants to secure a ceasefire and lasting peace. He said: “Zelensky’s going to have to get moving, Russia wants to make a deal, and Zelensky’s going to have to get moving otherwise he’s going to miss a great opportunity.” This comes after Zelensky said the US has given him and the Russian delegation a deadline of June to reach a peace deal. The Ukrainian president also urged Trump to help stop the war with Russia for his political “legacy”. He said “the most adventageous” outcome for the US president would be to have a peace deal signed before the midterm elections in November this year. He told The Atlantic: “I think there is no greater victory for Trump than to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine. For his legacy, it’s number one. *** Ensure our latest news headlines always …

Live: Russian attack leaves nearly 300,000 people without power, water supply in Odessa

Live: Russian attack leaves nearly 300,000 people without power, water supply in Odessa

Published by Sam Flores

12/02/2026 – 13:51 12/02/2026 – 13:40 NATO defence ministers to meet on Ukraine weapons, Greenland security 12/02/2026 – 13:27 IOC’s ban on skeleton racer Heraskevych ‘plays into hands’ of Russia, says Zelensky President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday slammed a decision by the International Olympic Committee to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych for wearing a helmet depicting killed Ukrainian athletes. “The Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors,” Zelensky said in a post on social media, adding: “We are proud of Vladyslav and of what he did. Having courage is worth more than any medal.” 12/02/2026 – 13:20 Ukrainian arms producers receive first wartime export licences ⁠Ukrainian ​arms producers ​have received the first wartime licences ​to ‌export ⁠their goods abroad, ‌the secretary of Kyiv’s ⁠national security and defence council ​said on ‌Thursday. In a statement, Rustem Umerov ‌did not ​specify how many enterprises had received a ​license but ​said Ukraine’s ​annual production capacity ​in the sector exceeds $55 billion. 12/02/2026 – 12:09 12/02/2026 – 11:43 Ukraine’s air force warns …