Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky criticizes Joe Biden and insists that the green light to bomb Russia with American weapons does not go far enough.

By Perkin Amalaraj

16:43 June 2, 2024, updated 17:09 June 2, 2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized US President Joe Biden in a rare rebuke, saying the US decision to allow Ukraine to attack Russia with American weapons does not go far enough.

While Zelensky, speaking at Asia's top security summit in Singapore, thanked Biden for allowing Ukraine to strike limited Russian territory with U.S. weapons, he said restrictions must be lifted .

Last week, the United States authorized Ukraine to use American missiles to fire on Kharkiv, where Russian troops have increased in number. But that's the only area they're allowed to shoot in, and Ukraine is only allowed to shoot certain weapons.

Zelensky said: “Is this enough? No why? Because I gave you the example of the airfields from which Russia constantly fires, calmly, knowing that Ukraine will not retaliate because it does not have corresponding systems or authorizations.

He said Russia had the advantage of restrictions on Ukraine because its armies could continue to use artillery and long-range weapons to strike civilian infrastructure.

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“They have these weapons there and they are not removing them because they know that Ukraine cannot target them with Western weapons, even if they shoot at us,” he said.

Ukraine imposed emergency power cuts across most of the country on Sunday, a day after Russia launched large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure and claimed to have made progress in the eastern province of Donetsk.

Lockdowns were put in place in all but three regions of Ukraine following Saturday's drone and missile attack on energy targets that injured at least 19 people.

Ukraine's state-owned power grid operator, Ukrenergo, said the shutdowns affected both industrial and domestic consumers.

Sustained Russian attacks on Ukraine's power grid in recent weeks have forced the government to implement nationwide power cuts. However, without adequate air defenses to counter the assaults and enable repairs, shortages could become even worse as needs increase in late summer and through the frigid winter.

Among the largest recent strikes were a barrage in April that damaged kyiv's largest thermal power plant and a massive attack on May 8 that targeted electricity generation and transmission facilities in several regions.

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After Saturday's barrage, Ukraine's air force said Sunday that air defenses had shot down all 25 drones launched overnight.

Russia claimed on Sunday to have taken control of the village of Umanske, in the Donetsk region partially occupied by the Russians.

Russia's new coordinated offensive has focused on Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, but appears to include testing Ukrainian defenses in Donetsk further south, while also launching incursions into areas from northern Sumy and Chernihiv.

In Russia, six people were injured in bombings in the town of Chebekino, in the Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Sunday. He also said that a local official, the deputy head of the Korochansky district, was killed by “an ammunition detonation.” He gave no details.

In the neighboring Kursk region, three people were injured on Sunday when an explosive device was dropped from a drone, according to acting regional head Alexei Smirnov.