
Zelenskyy calls for restricting supply of AI models suitable for military use to Russia
Academy
Empower your mind, elevate your skills
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasised the need to impose restrictions on the supply of ready-made artificial intelligence (AI) models suitable for military use; also, tools and services for training AI, including cloud-based solutions; high-performance computing equipment, as well as specialized data sets, including commercial satellite imagery to Russia.While addressing the Fair Play Conference on Friday, Zelenskyy called for the creation of a new international platform for controlling the export of dual-use goods, which he stressed would not only help Ukraine defend itself against Russia but also indirectly against its "accomplices," such as the regimes in North Korea and Iran.Zelenskyy said, "We must already be working to ensure that cutting-edge technologies - particularly in the field of artificial intelligence - are prioritised in export control policies by partner states, as AI is increasingly being integrated into weaponry. It is necessary to immediately impose restrictions on the supply to Russia of ready-made artificial intelligence models suitable for military use; also, tools and services for training AI, including cloud-based solutions; high-performance computing equipment, as well as specialised data sets, including commercial satellite imagery.""Therefore, our sanctions must be highly specific in each area and as up-to-date as possible. A new international platform for controlling the export of dual-use goods must be established, which should help us not only to defend ourselves directly against Russia, but also indirectly against its accomplices, such as the regimes in Pyongyang and Tehran. I would like to specifically acknowledge the work of everyone involved in limiting Russia's earnings from energy resources," he added.Zelenskyy emphasised that Russian missiles, drones and all other military equipment on the battlefield, finances, their tech companies and communications rely on how Russia trades with the world, how Russia sells oil and other goods and imports technologies. He stated that Russia's weeapon manufacturing relies on access to modern machine tools.He said, "Russian missiles, drones, nearly all the equipment on the battlefield that is actually effective, Russian finances, their tech companies and communications - all of this depends on how Russia trades with the world, how Russia sells oil and other goods, and imports technologies, equipment, and components. Russian weapons production directly depends on access to modern machine tools. Russian missiles and drones are made up of dozens of critical components that they import from other countries through various schemes. The Russian budget is critically dependent on oil and gas revenues."Zelenskyy stressed that the Russian economy and oligarchs cannot function without financial ties to global jurisdictions. He called for ending ties with Russia as long as it continues to have conflict with Ukraine.He said, " The Russian economy and Russian oligarchs cannot function properly without financial ties to global jurisdictions. And no less important are the personal assets of Putin's so-called 'elite' - all those murderers and their accomplices. They love money. They love their life of luxury. They hoard stolen wealth, want a good education for their children, particularly in Europe, and need proper healthcare. The longer Russia wages war, the less of the "proper" remains in Russia.""It is precisely the so-called 'Putin's elite' that understands this very well - and desperately wants the West not only to avoid introducing new sanctions, but also to ease all the existing ones. That is why our common task is clear: as long as Russia invests in this war, the entire world must remain as closed to them as possible. This is about security - ours and yours - and about basic human justice. And it is exactly what we must ensure through sanctions regimes - both ours and those of our partners," he added.He noted that even Western countries continue to supply Russia with equipment and critical components. According to him, Ukrainian experts have already identified hundreds of types of various components found in Russian drones and missiles. He called for imposing more pressure on every action that helps Russia to maintain its experts.He further stated, "Just over the past year, deliveries of machine tools to military-industrial facilities in Russia have been recorded from at least 12 countries - including China and Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Turkiye, and the United States. There is also information about supply contracts already planned for the upcoming year, 2026. All of this must be stopped. Absolutely. Further pressure is also needed on every actor in the world who helps Russia maintain its exports, who helps it transport oil, or find ways to circumvent financial restrictions."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Russian drone strike on Odesa kills married couple, injures 17 other people, Ukraine says
Two people died and at least 17 more were injured as Russian drones overnight struck the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, Ukrainian authorities said on Saturday (June 28, 2025). A drone slammed into a residential tower block in the city, causing damage to three floors and trapping residents, emergency services said. The two killed in the attack were a married couple, according to regional Gov Oleh Kiper, who added that three children were among the injured. There was no immediate comment from Moscow. According to Russia's Defence Ministry, over 40 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight and on Saturday (June 28, 2025) morning, over western Russia and Kremlin-occupied Crimea. Long-range drone strikes have been a hallmark of the war, now in its fourth year. The race by both sides to develop increasingly sophisticated and deadlier drones has turned the war into a testing ground for new weaponry.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Are interceptor drones Ukraine's best option against Russia?
Representative Image (AI-generated) Russian airstrikes on cities and towns across Ukraine are rapidly increasing in intensity. Between June 1 and June 20, Moscow launched 3,681 Shahed drones and fake drones, which serve to disorientate the Ukrainian air defense forces. A year ago, the average was at around 600 per month. To counter these attacks, Ukraine is looking for unconventional solutions, such as the use of interceptor drones. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the ensuing war, Moscow has not only increased the production of drones — it has also modernized them and changed deployment tactics. Current drones can maneuver and fly at high altitudes, which is why they cannot be reached by Ukrainian mobile air defense forces with machine guns. "Lately, the Russian Federation has been sending drones at an altitude of about 2 kilometers," Yuriy Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force , told DW. "That's why it's becoming more and more difficult for our mobile units to intercept Shahed drones," he added. "When drones fly lower, you can see them and shoot at them," he said. "First you detect them acoustically, then visually and with the help of thermal imaging cameras and sighting devices. Opening fire on them is only effective once a drone is flying at an altitude of up to 1 kilometre." Experts have expressed alarm at Russia's latest tactics. "Russia is going to bomb our entire country with Shahed drones. They have significantly increased production and will continue to do so. If we don't act immediately, our infrastructure, our production and our defense systems will be destroyed," military and communications expert Serhiy Beskrestnov warned on social media. In his view, Ukraine needs to ramp up mass production of interceptor drones and train drone pilots. Ukraine needs different drones to take on Shaheds: At the front, the use of interceptor drones is anything but new. The Ukrainian military has been using first-person view, or FPV, drones, equipped with cameras that provide the drone pilot with real-time images, for quite some time. These drones are used against various Russian drones, including surveillance and kamikaze models. In order to destroy Shahed drones, which fly faster than many others, however, Ukraine needs special drones. "An Orlan, for example, flies at 100 to 140 kilometers per hour and Shahed drones can reach 200 to 300 kilometers per hour," Serhii Sternenko, head of the Sternenko Community Foundation which provides the Ukrainian military with FPV drones, told DW. In such cases, drones with different characteristics were required for defense. "There are even Ukrainian-made ones. Our troops have already shot down Shaheds several times with such drones," said Sternenko. Ukraine ramps up production of interceptor drones: According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , his country is focusing on the rapid development of interceptor drones to also defend cities in the hinterland. "In particular, we are working on interceptor drones to enhance protection against Shaheds," Zelenskyy said at the G7 summit in Canada on June 17, pointing out that Ukraine is collaborating with partners to secure more substantial funding. Meanwhile, many Ukrainian manufacturers are already working on such drones. In particular, Wild Hornets, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the production of drones for the Ukrainian armed forces, has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to intercept Shahed and Gerbera drones with its Sting interceptor drone. At the same time, the German startup Tytan Technologies is testing its own interceptor drone with the Ukrainian military, and the Lviv-based company Besomar claims its drone can wait up to two hours in the air for a target. At Kyiv's Dronarium Academy, future drone pilots are trained for aerial combat. They use special simulators for the Ukrainian armed force, and each FPV drone pilot needs about a month to learn to control a drone at high speed. "We are forming new units to cover cities in the hinterland with air defense systems equipped with interceptor drones and we are also training drone pilots," said Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat. Interceptor drones are cheaper: "If all air defense groups had interceptor drones and we could use them to destroy enemy drones, we would already have something like 'Star Wars'," said Besomar co-founder Roman Shemechko. "That would be effective, as you wouldn't be shooting at clouds anymore but instead pursuing a target to take it out. That's more effective than simply shooting at Shaheds flying at an altitude of 3 kilometers or wasting a missile," he added. According to experts, interceptor drones are also a reasonable alternative given the cost of anti-aircraft missiles. According to the Unmanned Systems Forces, a branch of the Ukrainian army that specializes in drone warfare, the price of an anti-aircraft missile can be as high as $1 million (€85.4 million), while an interceptor drone costs around $5,000.


Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
North Korea opens grand seaside resort inaugurated by Kim Jong Un; but, not everyone is welcome
North Korea has opened a grand seaside resort called Wonsan-Kalma. State media described it as a 'national treasure-level tourism city'. Kim Jong Un inaugurated it himself. The resort includes waterparks and high-rise hotels. It can host nearly 20,000 guests, CNN reported. It is located on North Korea's eastern coast and is connected by a newly-opened train station and international airport. The location hints at North Korea's plans to attract foreign visitors, especially Russians. Only Russian officials attended the opening, showing North Korea's stronger ties with Moscow and growing isolation from the West. While the country faces severe hunger and hardship, this lavish project is being promoted as proof of Kim's care for his people, according to CNN. Kim Jong Un has said North Korea will expand tourism zones soon and build big tourist and cultural sites across the country. Kim visited the Wonsan-Kalma resort at least seven times. The Supremo guided the work himself and aiming for top global standards. In December 2024, after nearly five years of COVID-related border closure, North Korea reopened the northern city of Samjiyon for tourists. Tour companies in China confirmed the news. The 2020 shutdown led to major food shortages due to halted imports and global sanctions. Travel firms expect other cities like Pyongyang to reopen soon as restrictions ease. Still, foreign tourist visits to North Korea remain strictly controlled. Past Russian tourists had to follow many rules, including limited photography and attending organised performances. Experts believe the resort may soon welcome Russian visitors. It will support Kim's image of focusing on tourism while continuing his defence policies, according to CNN. The new Wonsan-Kalma resort is expected to serve elite officials from Pyongyang, not the general public. Experts say the project shows Kim Jong Un's aim to boost the economy through tourism. In the 1990s, North Korea opened Mount Kumgang for South Korean visitors, seen as a rare step toward peace. Around two million tourists visited, bringing in money. But, the tours stopped after a South Korean visitor had been shot in 2008 for entering a restricted area. In 2022, many buildings in the region were demolished after Kim had called them outdated. 'The initial target for this resort is going to be the privileged domestic elite of Pyongyang, such as party officials and other high-ranking figures,' CNN quoted professor Lim Eul-chul as saying. 'The ceremony of the Wonsan-Kalma resort reflects Kim Jong Un's vision of 'socialist civilisation' and is part of his strategic effort to seek economic breakthroughs through the tourism industry,' Lim added.