UPDATE - Zelenskyy urges Western partners to accelerate arms deliveries, allow strikes deep inside Russian territory

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM ZELENSKYY

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday called on Western partners to speed up arms deliveries and grant Kyiv permission to use long-range weapons for strikes deep inside Russian territory.

Zelenskyy arrived at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to attend a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, where these critical issues would be at the forefront of discussions.

“All the weapons from the already announced support packages must finally reach our combat brigades. And we need strong 'long-range' solutions from our partners," he said on Telegram.

Zelenskyy stressed that he considers the ban "erroneous."

He said that attacks on the Russian Black Sea fleet, which led to its redeployment to other parts of Russia, were worked and carried out jointly with the US, UK, Britain, France, and Italy.

The Ukrainian leader also announced his planned meetings with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, followed by separate talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

After the meeting in Germany, Zelenskyy is scheduled to travel to Italy to participate in the Ambrosetti International Economic Forum, engage with Italian business representatives, and hold talks with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Commenting on the situation in Russia's Kursk region, Zelenskyy claimed that Ukrainian troops have taken control of some 1,300 square kilometers (807.7 miles) of area, including of 100 settlements.

- Kyiv launched its incursion on Aug. 5-6

Russian authorities have said that 31 people were killed and 143 were injured, and over 133,000 evacuated since the start of Kyiv’s incursion.

Zelenskyy said the West’s ban on the strikes deep into Russian territory prompted him to launch the attack, the goal of which is the “establishment of a buffer zone.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the incursion as a "terrorist attack."