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Volodymyr Zelenskyy has kicked off an important trip to the US this week with a visit to an ammunition factory in Pennsylvania.

The site, which Sky News visited in 2023, produces critically needed munitions for his country’s fight against Russia.

Democratic representative Matt Cartwright, who was among those meeting Mr Zelenskyy at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, said that the Ukrainian leader had a simple message: “Thank you. And we need more.”

Mr Zelenskyy faces a busy week in the US as he works to shore up support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

He is due to speak at the UN General Assembly annual gathering in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday, and travel to Washington on Thursday for talks with President Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Scranton plant. Pic: Reuters
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Scranton plant. Pic: Reuters

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Recent weeks have seen Mr Zelenskyy pushing the US, and other Western allies, for permission to use longer-range missile systems to strike deeper into Russia.

So far the Pentagon and White House have not green-lit the loosening of restrictions. There has been hesitation due to the possibility of a US-made missile hitting Moscow, which could escalate the war.

Mr Zelenskyy will also present his “victory plan” to the US – of which the long-range weapons systems are said to be key.

But his trip comes at a key juncture for his country, as a victory for Donald Trump in the 5 November US presidential elections could prompt a reset of Washington’s policy on Ukraine.

During a TV debate earlier this month, Mr Trump refused to say if he wanted Ukraine to defeat Russia and said he would try to end the war before taking office if he wins.

The area around the plant was sealed off ahead of Mr Zelenskyy’s trip on Sunday, with rubbish trucks positioned as roadblocks and a heavy police presence visible.

As Mr Zelenskyy’s motorcade entered the ammunition plant, a small contingent of supporters waved Ukrainian flags nearby.

“It’s unfortunate that we need a plant like this, but it’s here, and it’s here to protect the world,” said Vera Kowal Krewson, a first-generation Ukrainian American who was among the small crowd. “And I strongly feel that way.”

A small group of supporters waved Ukrainian flags during Mr Zelenskyy's visit to the munitions plant. Pic: AP
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A small group of supporters waved Ukrainian flags during Mr Zelenskyy’s visit to the munitions plant. Pic: AP

Mr Zelenskyy speaking during his visit to the plant. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Mr Zelenskyy speaking during his visit to the plant. Pic: Reuters

Laryssa Salak, 60, whose parents also immigrated from Ukraine, said she was pleased Mr Zelenskyy came to thank the workers.

But she said it upset her that funding for Ukraine’s defence against Russia divided Americans, and that even some of her friends opposed the support, saying the money should instead go to help Americans.

“But they don’t understand that that money does not directly go to Ukraine,” Ms Salak said. “It goes to American factories that manufacture, like here, like the ammunition. So that money goes to American workers as well. And a lot of people don’t understand that.”

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The Scranton plant is one of the few facilities in the US that manufactures 155mm artillery shells and it has stepped up production in the last year.

These are used in howitzer systems, which are highly valued by ground forces in taking out enemy targets from a distance.

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At one point in the war, Ukraine was firing between 6,000-8,000 155mm shells per day.

The rate started to deplete US stockpiles, prompting concern.

In response, the US invested in restarting production lines and now manufactures more than 40,000 155mm shells a month – with plans to hit 100,000 a month.

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Israel approves plan to seize all of Gaza and hold it indefinitely, officials say

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Israel approves plan to seize all of Gaza and hold it indefinitely, officials say

Israel has approved a plan to capture all of the Gaza Strip and remain there for an unspecified length of time, Israeli officials say.

According to Reuters, the plan includes distributing aid, though supplies will not be let in yet.

The Israeli official told the agency that the newly approved offensive plan would move Gaza’s civilian population southward and keep humanitarian aid from falling into Hamas’s hands.

On Sunday, the United Nations rejected what it said was a new plan for aid to be distributed in what it described as Israeli hubs.

Israeli cabinet ministers approved plans for the new offensive on Monday morning, hours after it was announced that tens of thousands of reserve soldiers are being called up.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far failed to achieve his goal of destroying Hamas or returning all the hostages, despite more than a year of brutal war in Gaza.

Palestinian children struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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Palestinian children struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza. Pic: AP

Officials say the plan will help with these war aims but it would also push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.

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They said the plan included the “capturing of the strip and the holding of territories”.

It would also try to prevent Hamas from distributing humanitarian aid, which Israel says strengthens the group’s rule in Gaza.

The UN rejected the plan, saying it would leave large parts of the population, including the most vulnerable, without supplies.

It said it “appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic – as part of a military strategy”.

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More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed since the IDF launched its ground offensive in the densely-populated territory, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

It followed the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw around 250 people taken hostage.

A fragile ceasefire that saw a pause in the fighting and the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners collapsed earlier this year.

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At least 15 injured in ‘US-British’ strike on Yemeni capital, according to Houthi group

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At least 15 injured in 'US-British' strike on Yemeni capital, according to Houthi group

Yemen’s Houthi rebel group has said 15 people have been injured in “US-British” airstrikes in and around the capital Sanaa.

Most of those hurt were from the Shuub district, near the centre of the city, a statement from the health ministry said.

Another person was injured on the main airport road, the statement added.

It comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate against the Houthis and their Iranian “masters” following a missile attack by the group on Israel’s main international airport on Sunday morning.

It remains unclear whether the UK took part in the latest strikes and any role it may have played.

On 29 April, UK forces, the British government said, took part in a joint strike on “a Houthi military target in Yemen”.

“Careful intelligence analysis identified a cluster of buildings, used by the Houthis to manufacture drones of the type used to attack ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, located some fifteen miles south of Sanaa,” the British Ministry of Defence said in a previous statement.

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On Sunday, the militant group fired a missile at the Ben Gurion Airport, sparking panic among passengers in the terminal building.

The missile impact left a plume of smoke and briefly caused flights to be halted.

Four people were said to be injured, according to the country’s paramedic service.

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Netanyahu vows to retaliate against Houthis and Iran after missile attack

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Netanyahu vows to retaliate against Houthis and Iran after missile attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate against the Houthis and their Iranian “masters” after the group launched a missile attack on the country’s main international airport.

A missile fired by the group from Yemen landed near Ben Gurion Airport, causing panic among passengers in the terminal building.

“Attacks by the Houthis emanate from Iran,” Mr Netanyahu wrote on X. “Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters.”

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Israeli police officers investigate the missile crater. Pic: Reuters

The missile impact left a plume of smoke and briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at the airport. Some international carriers have cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv for several days.

Four people were lightly wounded, paramedic service Magen David Adom said.

Air raid sirens went off across Israel and footage showed passengers yelling and rushing for cover.

The attack came hours before senior Israeli cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify the country’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, and as the army began calling up thousands of reserves in anticipation of a wider operation in the enclave.

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Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the group fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at the airport.

Iran’s defence minister later told a state TV broadcaster that if the country was attacked by the US or Israel, it would target their bases, interests and forces where necessary.

Israel’s military said several attempts to intercept the missile were unsuccessful.

Air, road and rail traffic were halted after the attack, police said, though it resumed around an hour later.

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Yemen’s Houthis have been firing missiles at Israel since its war with Hamas in Gaza began on 7 October 2023, and while most have been intercepted, some have penetrated the country’s missile defence systems and caused damage.

Israel has previously struck the group in Yemen in retaliation and the US and UK have also launched strikes after the Houthis began attacking international shipping, saying it was in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas.

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