Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will again call on allies to boost his country's air defenses at a meeting this week in Germany, as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes over later this month with a vow to end the almost three-year war quickly.

Kyiv: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will again call on allies to boost its air defences at this week’s meeting in Germany, as US President-elect Donald Trump takes over later this month with a vow to end the almost three-year war quickly.

"In battles yesterday and today near just one village, Makhnovka, in Kursk region, the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian paratroops," Zelenskyy stated.

Both Russian and Ukrainian official confirmed the fresh offensive into the Kursk region on Sunday. The Defense Ministry in Moscow said that Russian forces had pushed back Ukrainian troops, though online bloggers said Moscow faced major pressure.

Russia continues to shell Ukrainian cities and take Ukrainian lives. This, in turn, indicates the constant task of strengthening Ukraine's air defense, which will become the subject of Ramstein (Ukraine Defense Contact Groop meeting),