NATO also reacts

“Hell” of Kiev: Even China raises its index finger

A woman carries a child to safety after the impact.

(Bild: AFP/Roman PILIPEY)

The missile strike on the children's hospital in Kiev has once again sharpened the global focus on the war in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky is now likely to get what he has long been asking for: more air defense. Unusually critical tones are even coming from Beijing.

When hospitals are turned into cemeteries, dehumanizing madness reigns. The weakest are increasingly being targeted in Ukraine. Russian missiles hammered down across the country on Monday.

People were blown out of their living rooms, hospital beds or workplaces and mercilessly torn to their deaths. It was the heaviest Russian air attack in months.

A total of 43 civilians were killed in the missile attack on Ukraine, said Ukrainian President Selenskyj on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington.

Beijing raises its index finger
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Tuesday. Unusually worrying statements were heard from Beijing. The fighting had not calmed down recently, "but intensified, and from time to time there were brutal attacks that claimed heavy casualties. China is deeply concerned about this," said Beijing's deputy ambassador Geng Shuang.

However, as a veto power, Russia does not have to fear any punishment; Moscow also chairs the Council on a rotating basis. Russia's behavior is "a disgrace for the Security Council and especially for the chairmanship of the presidency," declared British Ambassador Barbara Woodward.

It actually sends shivers down my spine when I say this sentence.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield

Bild: AFP/Mike Coppola

"We're here today because Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, the current president of the Security Council, attacked a children's hospital - and it makes my skin crawl to even say that sentence," said US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Hospital director speaks of "hell"
The director of the children's hospital that was attacked, Volodymyr Shovnir, also spoke to the UN Security Council and described the moment of the impact and the explosion in the hospital as "real hell".

The clean-up operation in Kiev is still ongoing.

(Bild: AFP/Anatolii STEPANOV)

A hell for which Russia does not want to be responsible. Moscow stubbornly sticks to its version that the Russian attack was aimed at a factory near the hospital. A stray Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile subsequently hit the hospital.

UN: Russian missile responsible
According to preliminary investigations by the UN Human Rights Office, the children's hospital in Kiev was directly hit by a Russian Kh-101 missile. This is the conclusion reached by experts who have analyzed video footage and directly examined the damage on site. 

Ukraine is now hoping for more international support. "We continue to work on protecting our cities and communities from Russian terror," wrote President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on the social network X. During his speech at the NATO summit in Washington, he quoted the words of Ronald Reagan: "The strategy for peace has always been simple: be strong enough, be determined enough, so that no adversary will think for a moment that war is worthwhile."

Zelensky's words leave no doubt that Ukraine would like even broader support. Air defense is currently the biggest problem. NATO and its partners have already promised additional equipment. This was announced by US President Joe Biden at the ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the defense alliance. In a joint statement by the USA and several partners, there was also talk of "additional" Patriot air defense systems.

NATO united behind Ukraine
In addition, dozens of tactical air defense systems - such as the Nasams or Iris-T type - were to go to Kiev, the statement continued. "These systems will further expand and strengthen Ukraine's air defense." The joint declaration was issued by the USA, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Italy, among others.

F-16 jets

• With the approval of the USA as the manufacturing country, the Netherlands and Denmark, among others, want to supply Ukraine with F-16s.
• The training of Ukrainian pilots and ground crews for this type of aircraft has been underway for months.
• However, the jets have not yet arrived in Ukraine.
• The planes are primarily intended to prevent Russian aircraft from dropping bombs unhindered.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in Washington that his country would donate six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, as reported by the Oslo newspaper VG. 

Ukraine needs 128 jets
Selenskyj hopes to receive the first individual F-16 aircraft this summer, but his country needs at least 128 fighter jets, said the Ukrainian president during his speech at the Ronald Reagan Foundation. Russia could deploy 300 aircraft a day to attack Ukraine.