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His comments came after U.S. President Joe Biden late last month
approved the use of American weapons to strike targets inside
Russia that were being used to attack Kharkiv, Ukraine's second
city located close to the Russian border.
While missile and drone strikes continue, Ihor Terekhov said the
change had helped bring relative "calm".
"This has helped," Terekhov said in an interview in Berlin, when
asked whether the ability to strike inside Russia had alleviated
the situation following weeks of heavy bombardment.
"That is why maybe Kharkiv has ... this period of ... calm the
last couple of weeks ... that there were no great strikes as it
was, for example, in May." He was speaking through a translator.
Terekhov is visiting a conference in Germany which aims to
encourage European support and investment in Ukraine.
The mayor said that about 11,500 people had arrived in Kharkiv
city from regions that were being actively bombarded.
Terekhov also stressed the need for Western air defences to help
protect his city.
Ukraine has struggled to intercept incoming Russian drones and
missiles because of the lack of systems to shoot them down.
Kyiv's allies are scrambling to find more, but deliveries have
been held up by political wrangling in Washington and the lack
of availability of suitable weapons.
"It is very important to have the weapons on time. It is very
important to have these weapons, especially the multi-defence
air system."
Russia launched three guided bombs at Kharkiv on Monday,
damaging at least two houses, according to local officials,
underlining the continuing threat.
The city and surrounding region have long been targeted by
Russian attacks but the strikes had become more intense in
recent months, hitting civilian and energy infrastructure.
In recent months Moscow's forces have made slow but steady gains
along several parts of the sprawling eastern front and are
attempting to push deeper into the northeastern Kharkiv region.
The regional capital has been repeatedly hit by Russian bombs
and missiles, including an attack on a printing works that
killed seven people and another on a DIY hardware store in late
May that killed at least 14.
(Editing by Mike Collett-White)
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