In light of the prolonged shelling of the city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Western allies to provide more extensive weapons and authorization to strike deep inside Russian territory.
"Russian combat aircraft must be destroyed wherever they are, by all effective means available," said Zelensky in his daily video address on Sunday.
Zelensky pointed to the need to prevent airstrikes like the recent one on the city of Kharkiv, which he said had left one person dead and 12 injured.
The recent lifting of a ban by Western states on firing on Russian territory close to the border with the weapons supplied had already produced results, Zelensky said.
A "part of Russia's terrorist capacity" has been destroyed, but only a part, and Zelensky said Ukrainians need better protection. "We need proper weapons for Ukrainians."
Negotiations on this issue are ongoing, he noted, adding that he expects further progress in the coming weeks.
Zelensky also sees progress in his country's endeavours to join the EU and said accession negotiations would begin next week. "It is a truly historic week."
Zelensky said the start of the negotiations was made possible by those who took up arms to defend Ukraine on February 24, when Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine began more than two years ago.