Kyiv [Ukraine], September 1: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday slammed the critics of his country's counteroffensive strategy and the speed of the troops' advance into Russian-held territory.
Kuleba said critics are "spitting into the face" of the Ukrainian soldier "who sacrifices his life every day, moving forward, and liberating 1 kilometre of Ukrainian soil after another."
"I would recommend all critics to shut up," he added, before inviting them to "come to Ukraine, and try to liberate 1 [centimetre squared] by themselves."Kuleba spoke at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in the Spanish city of Toledo where his EU counterparts are discussing further support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
The Ukrainian foreign minister also made a fresh appeal for Germany to supply his country with Taurus cruise missiles. "There is really not a single objective argument against making this decision," Kuleba said, noting France and Britain had already supplied long-range cruise missiles.
Ukraine has been demanding the German missiles for some time. Chancellor Olaf Scholz however has so far been reticent about this, as there are fears that the missiles could reach Russian territory.
EU foreign ministers are also discussing Ukraine's diplomatic campaign to end the Russian invasion with Kuleba ahead of the 78th United Nations General Assembly and the G20 summit in India.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock praised the EU's global outreach that helped form Uraine's peace plan. However of concern for Ukraine and its allies is that India did not invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Group of 20 (G20) summit of major economies.
At last year's G20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali, Ukraine was top of the agenda. Zelensky made an appearance via video-call and presented his 10-point peace plan there for the first time.
Meanwhile President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine needs 160 Western combat aircraft. "For an effective air force we need a total of around 160 combat jets," Zelensky said in a television interview with Portugal's public broadcaster. This would effectively prevent Russia from dominating Ukrainian airspace.
Zelensky said Ukraine had received pledges for 50 or 60 US-made F-16s from various European countries. Air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat earlier said the country needed around 128 F-16s. Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have pledged F-16s to Ukraine.
On the military front, the Ukrainian army has made further gains in its counteroffensive in the southern region of Zaporizhzhya, Kiev's General Staff said on Thursday.
The army reported that Ukrainian units had advanced south of the village of Robotyne towards the neighbouring settlement of Novoprokopivka. Soldiers were holding onto the newly gained positions, it said.
Source: Qatar Tribune