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Countries offer air defense systems to Ukraine, Zelenskyy appeals for more financial aid
Updated 09:01, 13-Oct-2022
CGTN

Britain will donate to Ukraine air defense systems capable of shooting down cruise missiles in the wake of recent Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities.

"Today, I have authorized the supply of AMRAAM anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine," British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace remarked ahead of a NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday.

In an interview with France2 on Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron said that in response to recent Russian airstrikes, France will "deliver radars, systems and missiles to protect Ukraine from these attacks, particularly from drone attacks."

The two countries are the latest among those who have pledged air defense systems to Ukraine, including the U.S., Germany and the Netherlands, following the Russian strikes earlier this week.

Russia launched a large-scale attack against Ukrainian targets on Monday in retaliation for a deadly blast on the Crimean Bridge, targeting Ukraine's energy, military command and communications facilities.

Ukraine reported at least 19 people were killed and 105 were injured.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday said the electricity supply had been fully restored in most regions across Ukraine after being damaged by the Russian air strikes, while repair work will complete in the near future in four remaining regions.

Suspected missile debris near a crater left by a missile strike on a playground in Taras Shevchenko Park the day before in Kyiv, Ukraine, October 11, 2022. /CFP
Suspected missile debris near a crater left by a missile strike on a playground in Taras Shevchenko Park the day before in Kyiv, Ukraine, October 11, 2022. /CFP

Suspected missile debris near a crater left by a missile strike on a playground in Taras Shevchenko Park the day before in Kyiv, Ukraine, October 11, 2022. /CFP

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has appealed to international donors to increase financial support, saying more money was needed to rebuild schools and homes.

He told finance ministers at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings that Ukraine needed about $55 billion – $38 billion to cover next year's estimated budget deficit, and another $17 billion to start to rebuild critical infrastructure, including schools, housing and energy facilities.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, World Bank President David Malpass and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen responded by underscoring the determination of the global community to continue to support Ukraine.

Yellen said the U.S. would begin to disburse another $4.5 billion in grant assistance to Ukraine in coming weeks.

Georgieva said the IMF planned to work with the Ukrainian authorities to set up a new "Ukraine Economic Forum" suggested by Zelenskyy to share information, calibrate financing needs and coordinate macroeconomic developments and policies.

And the IMF would also start talks soon with Ukraine about a new IMF monitoring instrument known as Program Monitoring with Board Involvement (PMB) and a comprehensive macroeconomic framework that would clarify external financing needs, she said.

(With input from Reuters)

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