Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the United States and European countries to do more to defend his nation, proposing that NATO fighters should intercept Russian missiles in Ukrainian airspace.
He made the proposal in an interview on Monday with the New York Times, stressing that it is for defense, not for attack on Russia.
Zelenskyy said, "So what's the issue with involving NATO countries in the war? There is no such issue." He then urged NATO planes to shoot down "what's in the sky over Ukraine."
Zelenskyy then referred to Russian forces' continued offensive in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. He noted that Western nations have not given Ukraine permission to use weapons provided by them to strike inside Russia.
He said the use of weapons to strike at military targets in Russia is essential for defense of the border area.
He revealed that he had appealed to senior US officials to allow Ukraine to fire US missiles at military targets in Russia.
In response, Russia's presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that the recent "hysterical" statements by the Ukrainian side shows "the extremely unfavorable position" of Ukrainian forces on the front lines.
Peskov added that, even if the pace of military support is restored, that will not help the Ukrainian military to "change the dynamics on the front lines in any way."