KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – NATO countries have failed to fulfill their promises to Ukraine on time, giving Russia the upper hand while Kiev’s depleted forces await the arrival of military supplies from the United States. This is now possible, the head of the alliance said on Monday. And Europe.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kiev that “significant delays in assistance mean serious consequences on the battlefield” for Ukraine.
The outgunned Ukrainian army is struggling to fend off Russian advances on the battlefield. Ukraine’s military commander said on Sunday that he had recently been forced to make a tactical withdrawal from three eastern villages where Kremlin forces were making gradual advances. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed on Monday that Russian troops had also captured the village of Seminivka.
“The lack of ammunition allowed Russian forces to advance along the front lines. The lack of air defense capabilities allowed more Russian missiles to hit targets, and the lack of deep strike capabilities allowed Russia is now able to concentrate more troops,” Stoltenberg said.
As the spring campaign season gets into full swing, Ukraine says “heavy fighting” is underway and “the situation on the front has worsened.”https://t.co/Vrox8GJvxj
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Kiev’s Western partners have repeatedly vowed to support Ukraine “for as long as necessary.” But vital U.S. military aid has been delayed for six months due to political disagreements in Washington, and production of military equipment in Europe has not kept up with demand. Ukraine’s own production of heavy weapons is only now beginning to gain momentum.
Now, Ukraine and the West are rushing to deploy significant new military aid to help stem Russia’s slow but costly advance into its eastern regions and thwart drone and missile attacks. .
Zelenskiy said new supplies from the West are starting to arrive, but gradually. “This process must be accelerated,” he said at a press conference with Stoltenberg.
The 1,000km front has remained largely unchanged since the beginning of the war, but Kremlin forces have made advances in recent weeks, particularly in the Donetsk region, where huge numbers and massive firepower are being used to break through defensive positions. . .
Russia also continues to fire missiles, drones, and bombs at cities across Ukraine. Russia launched a missile attack on homes and “public infrastructure” in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Monday, killing at least four people and injuring 27 others, regional governor Ole Kiper said on the Telegram message site.
The turreted Gothic building, known locally as Harry Potter Castle, was seen going up in flames after the strike.
Antony Blinken says Ukraine plans to join NATO https://t.co/VpEIoWeciP
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Russia is a much larger country than Ukraine and has more resources. According to the US government, it also receives arms support from Iran and North Korea.
Military analysts say Ukraine’s prolonged efforts to mobilize more troops and slow construction of battlefield fortifications are other factors undermining Ukraine’s war effort. Says.
Nick Reynolds, a land warfare researcher at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said the war “remains largely an artillery battle.”
Although he did not expect to see any major movement on the front in the short term, he said, “The conditions are starting to settle for which side will have a military advantage on the front.” At the moment, the Russian military is in a better position.
“Mobility will be restored to the battlefield at some stage if either side determines that they are in a position to move forward. It may not be within the next few weeks, but perhaps not within the next few months. . But it’s going to happen,” he told The Associated Press.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh also acknowledged Russia’s recent battlefield victories in a briefing with reporters on Monday, noting that delays in Congressional approval of additional spending “set Ukraine back.”
But NATO chief Stoltenberg said more weapons and ammunition were on the way for Ukraine, including the Patriot missile system to protect against heavy Russian barrage that hits power grids and urban areas. .
NATO ally Latvia supports President Macron with phone call to Ukrainehttps://t.co/86oOQCu8dF
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Ukrainian officials say Russia is gathering forces for a major offensive in the summer, even if its troops are only making incremental advances at the moment.
“The likelihood that Russian forces will achieve deeper operationally significant penetration in the region in the short term remains low,” the Institute for the Study of War said in an assessment on Sunday.
Still, Kremlin forces are closing in on the strategically important hilltop town of Chasiv Yar, and capturing it would be a significant advance into the Donetsk region.
Donetsk and Luhansk form much of the industrial Donbas region, where separatist fighting has been ongoing since 2014 and President Putin has made it a primary objective for his invasion of Russia. Russia illegally annexed the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhia regions in September 2022.
In other developments, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, made an unannounced visit to Ukraine, becoming the first British royal to visit the country since the Russian invasion in 2022.
Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that Prince Edward’s wife Sophie met President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska in Kiev and delivered a message on behalf of King Charles III. The timing and details of the visit were not disclosed.
The palace said Lady Sophie, 59, was making the trip “to show solidarity with women, men and children affected by war, and to continue her work advocating for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.” announced that it had done so.
US Embassy to NATO: President Trump deserves ‘credit’ for boosting defense spending and strengthening NATO https://t.co/t1c6AxLzsk
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