Russia-Ukraine war: Ukrainian Defence Min hails '96 hours resistance', affirms 'We'll win'

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov on Sunday hailed the "96 hours of resistance" in the face of Russian aggression and assured that "Ukraine will win". Since Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashed an onslaught on Ukraine, Reznikov said that it had been "4 days of dedication, courage and faith” for the Ukrainian people.

In a statement given at night, the Ukrainian Defence Minister said, "The enemy who came to our land will go in a known direction. Therefore, we advise the occupiers to go home. It’s not too late. It is useless to intimidate Ukrainians. It will not be possible to break our defenders.”

Reznikov also pledged that Ukraine "will not give up the capital". Posting some of the phrases on Facebook, the Ukrainian Defence Minsiter also declared that the Russian invasion into its neighbour has made the war "European". He said, "The war has become European...Europe has already provided a temporary shelter to tens of thousands of those we want to save the most - our little ones and their mothers."

Ukraine says Russian forces continue to break into Kyiv, situation under control

Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has said that Russian forces continue to break into Kyiv while the situation in the country is still under control. In a statement on Facebook, the Ukrainian armed forces said, "today's day the enemy continued attempts to break through the defence of Kyiv. Repeatedly columns of Russian troops tried to storm the outskirts of the capital. All movements of the enemy forces were under control, and timely decisions were made. In the capital of our Motherland, the situation is controlled."

Zelensky spoke to Boris Johnson & Polish President Andrzej Duda

Earlier,  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday (local time) spoke with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Polish President Andrzej Duda and agreed on further joint steps to counter the "aggressor". With Russia already rounding up major cities in Ukraine, Zelensky told UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the telephone that the "next 24 hours are crucial for Ukraine".

According to Downing Street's statement, “President Zelenskiy said he believed the next 24 hours was a crucial period for Ukraine, and the prime minister said he would do all he could to help ensure defensive aid from the UK and allies reached Ukraine.”

(Image: AP)