TRANSCRIPT
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to carry out a stern retaliation following a Russian missile strike in the centre of Chernihiv.
The strike in the northern Ukrainian city has killed seven people, including a six-year-old girl, and wounded over a hundred others.
Mr Zelenskyy says the response will be severe.
“I am sure our soldiers will respond to Russia for this terrorist attack. Respond tangibly.”
The governor of the Chernihiv region, Vyacheslav Chaus, says the total number of people wounded has risen to 148 , including 15 children.
Meanwhile President Zelenskyy has quipped that Ukraine would be ready to exchange Russian territory for NATO membership.
Responding to a question from a journalist about the recent comment from a high ranking NATO official that Ukraine will likely have to give up territorial claims on some occupied areas before joining the alliance, Mr Zelenskyy says he is ready.
“We are ready to exchange Belgorod for our membership in NATO.”
Belgorod is a Russian city, 40 kilometres north of the Ukrainian border.
Mr Zelenskyy spoke from Denmark, where he secured a vow of transfer of 19 F-16 fighter jets.
“This will be a huge push for other countries who were in doubt about whether or not to provide us with fighter jets.”
He spoke alongside Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at an air base in Eindhoven after it was confirmed the Netherlands and Denmark would provide the U-S-made aircraft to Kyiv.
"Mark Rutte said that we are discussing the number of 42 F-16s, but I think we have next talks with our Danish colleagues. As Mark said it's of mutual consent to give jets to Ukraine. I think it will be fair to talk about the number a little bit later."
Mr Zelenskyy also met with the country's foreign minister, defence minister and Crown Princess Mary while in Denmark.
Mr Zelenskyy says the supply of F-16 fighter jets will help the Ukrainian military make stronger progress in its counteroffensive against Russian forces.
Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge.
“I know that we always want the Ukrainian counteroffensive to be faster, that jets can greatly speed up this process, that Russia dominates in the air, and that we don’t limit ourselves to jets, we are talking about air defense systems because the winter is ahead. We understand, as no one in the world does, what winter without electricity looks like.”
It is not clear when the fighter jets will make it to the battlefield arena, but Ukrainian pilots must first undergo training on the planes.
The president said he did not want to reveal how many servicemen would undergo such training in order to surprise Russia.
"I can't tell you a very concrete number of our Ukrainian pilots undergoing training for F-16s because I don't want to prepare Russia for this surprise which we will prepare for them in some period of time. Anyway, we have a political decision and we understand the number of jets we can use in the future nearest or not. It depends on the situation, and on the experience of our pilots it's true, and on preparing special infrastructure for the jets."
