Drone crashes into Putin’s office, Russians find huge cache of explosives – Our War News Wednesday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukraine to join NATO at a Nordic summit in Helsinki on Wednesday, saying Ukrainian forces would soon launch a counterattack against Russian troops.

In a joint press conference with his Finnish official counterpart, Sauli Ninistő, Zelenskiy said he was confident that Western countries would provide the military with modern fighter jets after the counter-attack.

“Ukrainian forces continue to prove they are worthy of support,” he said, adding that Ukraine typically receives new Western weapons after major battlefield victories.

“That’s why I’m sure we’ll have a fighter jet soon (…) It’ll be better soon, it’ll be easier, but it’s going this way and we’re grateful for everything”.

Finnish President Sauli Niininstö, for his part, said that Finland cannot deliver Helsinki-owned Hornet fighter-bombers to Ukraine because the machines are already old and few European countries have them, making it difficult to supply spare parts.

The Ukrainian president stressed his country’s NATO membership in Helsinki and said security guarantees are needed until Kiev joins the North Atlantic alliance.

He said: The main purpose of his visit to Helsinki was to discuss NATO membership and strengthening the Ukrainian army.

According to the plans, Zelensky – apart from the meeting with Ninistov – will also meet separately with the prime ministers of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland.

Niinistö previously said that Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the Nordic countries’ support for Ukraine, the EU and NATO’s relationship with Ukraine, as well as the “Ukrainian initiative for a just peace” will be the topics of the summit.

Serhii Nikiforov, press secretary of the Ukrainian president, announced that Zelensky “will not travel directly to Kyiv” after his visit to Helsinki, but did not provide further details.

Meanwhile, German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel reported that Zelensky will travel to Berlin on May 13, where he will meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The Danish government announced on Tuesday that it would provide Ukraine with military aid worth 1.7 billion Danish kroner to help with a planned spring offensive on Kiev, as Ukrainian forces begin to recover lost territory.

(MTI)