UK assures Ukraine to 'strengthen unwavering support' after deadly Russian missile strikes

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) – Ukraine’s foreign minister said his British counterpart in a phone call has “assured” him that “the UK will strengthen its unwavering support” following the deadly missile attacks on Ukrainian cities on Monday.

Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter that he told British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly that Ukraine needs “air defense systems and Russia must be recognized a terrorist state.”

“Just like the UK withstood the Nazi Blitz, Ukraine will withstand Russia’s missile blitz. Nothing will break us down,” he wrote.

Following the Russian strikes on Monday, Cleverly wrote on Twitter that “Russia’s firing of missiles into civilian areas of Ukraine is unacceptable.”

Underlining that he communicated with Kuleba “to reinforce the UK’s ongoing moral and practical support to Ukraine.”

“This is a demonstration of weakness by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, not strength.”

Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin also took to Twitter to condemn the missile attacks.

“I condemn the missile attacks on Kyiv, and other Ukrainian cities, targeting civilians over recent days,” he wrote.

“These deliberate acts of terror are nothing short of war crimes. We will continue every effort to hold Russia accountable for these blatant breaches of international law.”

The death toll from the latest Russian attacks across Ukraine rose to 11 with dozens wounded, according to the country's authorities on Monday.

Some 64 people were also injured during the shelling, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

"If we talk about the whole of Ukraine, then, in addition to Kyiv, hits were recorded in 14 other regions of the state," said Mariana Reva, the spokeswoman for the National Police of Ukraine.

In a video message released on Telegram, Zelenskyy said Ukraine's energy facilities and people were Russia's two main targets. The president reiterated his call for residents to stay in shelters.

Multiple explosions were reported in the Ukrainian cities of Odesa, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytsky, Dnipro, Lviv, Ternopil, and Kyiv, a day after Putin accused Ukrainian intelligence of carrying out what he called a "terrorist attack" on the Kerch Bridge.