Zelenskyy Says He Will Meet With Blinken And Defense Secretary Austin In Kyiv

Austin Ramzy

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/04/24/world/ukraine-russia-war-news

 

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine.

 

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine sounded a note of optimism before the expected arrival of an American delegation in the capital on Sunday, saying his country had begun to receive the sort of heavy weaponry it needs and could eventually defeat the invading Russian forces.

 

“It is only a matter of time before all Russian murderers feel what a fair response to their crimes is,” Mr. Zelensky said in his evening address on Saturday. “It is only a matter of time before all our people all over Ukraine feel what a strong peace is.”

 

Mr. Zelensky said he would meet in Kyiv, the capital, with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, the highest-level American officials to visit since the start of the war, to discuss the delivery of more weapons. Neither the State Department nor the Defense Department have publicly confirmed the visit. The two officials are expected to arrive on Sunday, Mr. Zelensky said, as Ukraine’s Eastern Orthodox majority marks Easter.

 

Here are some other major developments:

 

While Russia has failed to make significant territorial gains in the east, the Ukrainian defense intelligence agency warned that Russian forces are trying to identify the Ukrainian military’s most vulnerable points in order to launch a large-scale offensive.

 

The Ukrainian military claimed to have repulsed multiple Russian thrusts and staged counterattacks to reclaim Russian-occupied communities.

 

Allies were speeding up efforts to deliver heavy arms to Ukraine. Britain is considering sending tanks to Poland so that Warsaw can then send its own tanks to Ukraine. Canada announced that it had sent heavy artillery to Ukraine in conjunction with the United States.