Poland urges West to give long-range missiles to Ukraine

Poland has urged the West to give Ukraine longer-range missiles to counter devastating Russian air strikes, as Nato said it would help several member states buy advanced US-made air defence rockets and the European Union sanctioned Russia’s Alrosa – the biggest diamond producer in the world.

Ukraine said shelling of its southeastern Kherson region killed at least two civilians on Wednesday, a day after five people were killed and more than 100 hurt in a massive missile and drone strike on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and its second city, Kharkiv. Last Friday, an even bigger barrage by Moscow’s forces killed at least 39 civilians across Ukraine.

“We should respond to the latest onslaught on Ukraine in language that Putin understands: by tightening sanctions so that he cannot make new weapons with smuggled components and by giving Kyiv long range missiles that will enable it to take out launch sites and command centres,” Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said, referring to veteran Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin (71).

The United States and Germany are among western powers that have declined to give Ukraine the long-range missiles it has requested, and the US has limited the operating range of weapons that it has sent to Kyiv. Furthermore, Ukraine is thought to have assured allies that it will not use western-supplied munitions to strike military sites in Russia itself.

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Kyiv is expanding production of its own missiles and drones, and Russia said it shot down 12 Ukrainian rockets over the border region of Belgorod on Wednesday.

[ Russia’s New Year onslaught highlights Ukraine’s need for arms and funds ]

Ukrainian officials appealed to allies for more air defence systems and munitions after Tuesday’s air strikes, during which they said 10 of Russia’s advanced “hypersonic” Kinzhal ballistic missiles were shot down by US-made Patriot systems.

“In just a few days between December 29th and now, Russia has used about 300 missiles and over 200 ‘Shahed’ drones against Ukraine,” said Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

“No country in the world had ever successfully repulsed such combined attacks with the use of drones and missiles… It is here, in Ukraine, and with our air defence, that we must demonstrate that democracies are capable of protecting lives from all types of terror.”

Nato’s support and procurement agency announced on Wednesday that it would help members including Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain buy up to 1,000 Patriot missiles. It is not clear when they would be delivered or if any would be earmarked for Ukraine.

The EU has imposed sanctions on Russian firm Alrosa, the world’s biggest diamond producer, and its chief executive Pavel Marinychev.

“The ban on Russian diamonds is part of a G7 effort to develop an internationally co-ordinated diamond ban that aims at depriving Russia of this important revenue source,” the EU said in a statement.

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