Russia-Ukraine war latest updates: Zelensky pleads for more potent weapons - The Washington Post

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his plea for Western nations to supply Ukraine with more potent weapons, including the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, to help Kyiv defend against Russian attacks from places far from the front line.

Kyiv has long argued that it needs the U.S.-made weapons to strike Russian targets in places such as Crimea — which have been used to launch missile and drone attacks across Ukrainian cities, with devastating effect.

Ukraine’s energy system remains under heavy strain, with the country’s electric transmission operator warning on Sunday that Russian attacks on Thursday “caused significant damage” to parts of the high-voltage network.

Russia and Belarus tested Kinzhal hypersonic missiles as part of a two-week joint air drill between the countries, the news agency Interfax reported, citing a television station affiliated with the Belarusian Defense Ministry.

North Korea rejected as “baseless” U.S. claims that it supplied Russia with weapons, describing it as an attempt by Washington to justify its own military aid for Kyiv, according to a statement carried by state news agency KCNA on Sunday.

Kwon Chung-keun, director of U.S. affairs at North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, also called the U.S. decision to send M1 battle tanks to Ukraine a “criminal act against humanity,” Reuters reported.