Ukraine needs more missile defence munitions - envoy to Japan

FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky walks past a map showing Russia and Ukraine as he arrives at his news conference venue in Tokyo, Japan, January 26, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO (Reuters) -Ukraine needs more anti-aircraft munitions to defend against Russian missiles, its ambassador to Japan said on Friday.

Ambassador Sergiy Korsunsky told reporters Ukraine was well equipped to defend tank attacks but needed Stinger missiles and other anti-aircraft supplies to defend against cruise missiles raining down on the country.

Missiles pounded the Ukrainian capital on Friday as Russian forces pressed their advance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pleaded with the international community to do more, saying sanctions announced so far were not enough.

Korsunsky called on nations to impose the severest sanctions possible on Russia to pressure it to halt its assault on Ukraine.

He warned Europe is at risk of "nuclear contamination" if the Chernobyl plant, now under Russian control, is damaged or not properly maintained.

Russia's ambassador to Japan, Mikhail Galuzin, who spoke at a news conference several hours later, said he could neither deny nor confirm the plant had been taken by Russian forces and said safety was not a concern.

"I can assure you that everything will be done for safe and responsible handling of all the nuclear facilities that can be or may be in the area of the activity of the Russian forces," he said.

(Reporting by Rocky Swift and Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Kim Coghill and Lincoln Feast.)

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