Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Russian forces of deliberately and systematically destroying towns and villages with artillery, missiles and warplanes, warning that it would be too late if the arrival of American tanks in his country was delayed until next August.

The Ukrainian president stressed that the situation near Bakhmut and Voglidar in Donetsk region is still very difficult.

In the same context, the Ukrainian General Staff said that civilians were killed and injured in Russian bombing of Kherson, Zaporizhia and Mykolaiv provinces in southern Ukraine, stressing that more than 30 areas in Zaporizhia were subjected to Russian bombing during the past hours, and the bombing also affected 10 areas in Kherson.

The General Staff also announced that its forces carried out raids on the positions of Russian forces and their missile systems in several areas inside Ukrainian territory.

On the other hand, the pro-Russian authorities in Donetsk said that Ukrainian forces bombed 4 residential neighborhoods in the region, injuring a civilian and causing material damage to residential buildings and infrastructure.


Tank supplies

In a parallel context, John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator at the US National Security Council, said that his country expects German and European tanks to arrive in a relatively short time.

For his part, the Ukrainian president said that the delay in the arrival of the American M1 Abrams tanks until next August would mean their arrival too late.

Kyiv is betting on the possibility of bringing about a change in the balance of power on the ground, thanks to the tanks that are waiting to be received from the Western allies.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki confirmed - yesterday, Friday - that his country will send to Ukraine 60 modern tanks, including 30 PT-91 tanks and 14 Leopard 2 tanks.

Moravisky added - in a televised interview - that Russia's weapon in this war is intimidation, and stressed the importance of solidarity between Western countries in confronting it, stressing that his country was finally able to persuade its allies and partners in Western Europe to be more effective in their support for Ukraine.

France and Romania also announced - in a joint statement - that they would increase their support for the people of Ukraine to help them defend themselves.


Accreditation of the US ambassador to Russia

Diplomatically, the Russian Information Agency said today, Saturday, that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov will hold a meeting with Lynn Tracy, the new US ambassador to Moscow, after her arrival in Moscow last Thursday.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday that the appointment of the new ambassador would not improve relations between the two countries because of what she described as a "war by all means" waged by Washington against Moscow.

According to Ryabkov, the traditional presentation of copies of Tracy's credentials has already been agreed upon, and he said it will take place this week, as "Ambassador Tracy is expected to provide me with copies of her credentials."

Relations between the two countries have reached their lowest levels since the outbreak of the Russian war on Ukraine last February.

Russia describes the war as a confrontation with what it says is an aggressive and expansionist alliance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) led by the United States, while Kyiv and its allies describe Russia's actions as a gratuitous grab of territory.

Russia accuses NATO

On the other hand, the Russian Foreign Ministry considered yesterday, Friday, that NATO is directly participating in the Ukrainian conflict, and the spokeswoman for the ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that providing the West with tanks to Kiev will raise the confrontation with the West to a new level, adding that any Western weapon ends up in Ukraine. It will become a legitimate target for Russian forces.

Also in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia does not see US President Joe Biden's intention to resolve, but rather sees his intention to continue pumping weapons into Ukraine.

Peskov added that Biden could - if he wanted - put an end to the conflict quickly by trying to influence Kyiv, considering that the "key" to the Ukrainian authorities is in Washington's hands, as he put it.