MOSCOW: After Russian missiles rained down on Ukraine's capital Kyiv and other cities, US President Joe Biden pledged to give Ukraine a state-of-the-art air defense system.

In his Monday talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden "promised to continue to provide Ukraine with the assistance needed to defend itself, including advanced air defense systems," according to a White House statement.

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More "serious" attacks against Ukraine have been threatened by Russian President Vladimir Putin after the deadliest wave of attacks in months injured at least 19 people and damaged a vital bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula. which was captured by Moscow.

The explosion was celebrated by Ukraine, which sees the bridge as a military object supporting Russia's war effort.

Zelensky tweeted that "air defense is currently the number one priority in our defense cooperation" following his talks with Biden.
"We will do everything we can to strengthen our armed forces," Zelensky announced in his speech late Monday. "We will inflict more suffering on the enemy on the battlefield."

What systems Biden was referring to in the White House statement was not made clear. Deliveries of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) will begin, the Pentagon announced on September 27.

According to the Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, the threat of a widespread war has increased.
Antonov told the media that the risks of conflict between Russia and NATO are heightened by providing such assistance as well as Kyiv intelligence, trainers and combat guidance.

According to Kyiv, the Russian military used Iranian drones that were launched from neighboring Belarus and fired more than 80 missiles at cities across the country.

According to Zelensky, Monday's attacks during rush hours were planned to kill people and destroy Ukraine's power infrastructure.

According to Prime Minister Denis Schmihal, eleven critical infrastructure targets in eight regions were affected, leaving some areas of Ukraine without heat, water or electricity. He promised to restore utilities as soon as possible.

Tuesday was set aside for an emergency call between Zelensky and the leaders of the Group of Seven countries to discuss their response.
To avoid entering into direct conflict with Russia, the US and its allies have been reluctant to give the Ukrainian military their most advanced weapons.

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Zelensky, in a series of phone calls with G7 leaders on Monday, urged allied countries to lift such sanctions.

Asked last week what would be Putin's "off-ramp" to prevent further escalation, Biden said the world would face "the prospect of Armageddon" if he decided to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. have to do it.

Biden administration officials claimed the president's remarks were not supported by fresh intelligence and that there is no evidence that Putin is actively advancing the use of nuclear weapons in the US.

The comments, however, showed Biden's concerns that the conflict could spiral out of control and have serious, deadly consequences for the continent and the rest of the world.

According to Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, "The Department of Defense will continue to work closely with our international allies and partners to support Ukraine for as long as it takes in their fight to defend their country."

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According to Ryder, in addition to hosting the Ukraine Defense Liaison Group already scheduled in Brussels on Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will also participate in the NATO defense ministerial meeting.

Since Putin launched his full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in February, Russia has suffered its worst defeat in recent times.

Russian units were forced to retreat as Ukrainian forces reclaimed large parts of the occupied territory to the east and south.
In response to the Ukrainian victory, Putin has taken increasingly desperate actions, including authorizing the mobilization of nearly 300,000 reservists and using rigged elections to quickly annex four regions under partial Kremlin control, which the United Nations declared illegal. has told.

The military setbacks have sparked a wave of accusations inside Russia, with a Kremlin-backed occupation official jokingly suggesting that the country's defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, should commit suicide.

Sergei Surovikin, a general in the Russian Air Force, was on Saturday appointed commander of the military in Ukraine, the third senior military appointment for Russia last week. He had previously oversaw Russia's brutal air campaign in Syria.