Zelenskyy Says Kiev Needs 1% Of NATO Planes, Tanks

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th March, 2022) Ukraine needs at least one percent of aircraft and tanks that are stationed in NATO countries, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, accusing Kiev's Western allies of being indecisive in terms of military assistance to Ukraine.

"Only 1% of all NATO aircraft and 1% of all NATO tanks, 1% - we are not asking for more," Zelenskyy said in a video address posted on his Telegram channel.

In his speech to 27 European leaders released on Friday, Zelenskyy criticized Hungary for refusing to supply Kiev with weapons and not allowing the transfer of arms through Hungarian territory.

Zelenskyy's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said on Friday that Kiev was "very disappointed" with the NATO summit held earlier this week because it expected the alliance would show more courage and exert additional measures to counter Russia.

In the early hours of February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) appealed for help in defending themselves against the Kiev forces. Russia said that the aim of its special operation is to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine and that only military infrastructure is being targeted - the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine.

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the goal is to protect the people of Donbas, "who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years."