Ukraine's President Pushes for Stronger Stance Against Russia

Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is calling on allies to stand firm against Russia. He made this plea after a trip to the United States, where he didn't get the advanced missiles he wanted. These missiles, called Tomahawks, are long-range and powerful. Zelenskyy hoped to get them from the U. S. president, Donald Trump, who has been upset with Russia lately. But Trump seems more interested in talking things out with Russia. He had a long chat with Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, and they agreed to meet soon. Trump even said it's time to stop the fighting and make a deal. This has left Zelenskyy in a tough spot. He's asking his allies in Europe and America to take strong action. He wants them to meet again and show they won't give in to Russia's demands. Meanwhile, Russia has been hitting Ukraine hard. They've been attacking places where regular people live. This has left many without heat or light as winter comes. Zelenskyy said Russia has been using lots of drones and bombs. He mentioned that in just one week, Russia used over 3, 270 drones and nearly 50 different types of missiles. This has caused many deaths and injuries. Just on Sunday, two people were killed, and more than a dozen were hurt in Ukraine's east. Ukraine isn't just sitting back, though. They've been hitting back at Russia. They've been targeting Russia's western border areas and their oil and gas facilities. On Sunday, a drone strike hit a Gazprom plant in the Orenburg region. This plant processes gas from a big field in Kazakhstan. Western companies like Shell, Eni, and Chevron own most of this field. Russia claims they've taken over two villages in Ukraine's Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. But Ukraine says they're fighting back. They're not just waiting for help from others. They're doing what they can to protect their country.