Ukraine confirms second Danish delivery of F-16s as Zelenskyy seeks support in Paris

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Denmark has delivered a second batch of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday as he traveled to Paris to meet with top politicians and dignitaries.

In a message on Telegram, Zelenskyy praised Denmark and lamented a lack of dedication from other allies.

“The first batch of planes provided by the Danes are already shooting down Russian missiles: rescuing our people and our infrastructure. Now our air shield is reinforced even further,” he said. “If all partners were so determined, we would have been able to make Russian terror impossible.”

The announcement comes as Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region marks a day of mourning for 10 people killed in a Russian attack on Friday. A further 24 people, including two children, were injured when a missile struck a local service station, said regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov.

Another three people were killed in a strike on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih Friday, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.

Addressing the attacks, Zelenskyy said that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not seek “real peace.”

Putin “only seeks the ability to treat any country this way, with bombs, missiles, and all other forms of violence,” Zelenskyy said. “Only through strength can we resist this. And only through strength can real peace be established.”

Zelenskyy is due to meet other world leaders Saturday, including French President Emmanuel Macron, at an event in Paris celebrating the renovation of Notre Dame Cathedral after a devastating fire in 2019.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is among those expected to be in attendance, with European leaders keen to cultivate the incoming leader’s favor to persuade him to maintain support for Ukraine against Russia’s three-year invasion. It’s not clear whether Trump will meet Zelenskyy. ___

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine