(Kyiv) The NATO Secretary General and the Ukrainian President jointly insisted on Monday: Ukraine needs more help to win the war, with Russia taking advantage of failures in Western assistance to advance on the front.
“Significant delays in support have serious consequences on the battlefield,” admitted Jens Stoltenberg during a visit to Kyiv, referring to the considerable delay in American and European military aid.
“But it is not too late for Ukraine to win,” assured the NATO official, assuring that “more help is on the way” and that new aid announcements are expected “ Soon “.
Mr. Stoltenberg therefore called on the allies to put in place “a major, multi-year financial commitment (…) to demonstrate that our support for Ukraine is not short-term.”
“Moscow must understand that it cannot win,” insisted the head of the Atlantic Alliance.
At his side, President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the West to accelerate arms deliveries to “fail” the new major offensive that Moscow is preparing, according to Kyiv.
“Together, we must defeat the Russian offensive,” declared Mr. Zelensky alongside Jens Stoltenberg, noting that Moscow “is trying to take advantage” of delays in Western aid.
“Artillery, (ammunition of) 155 mm caliber, long-range weapons and air defense, mainly Patriot systems. This is what our partners have and what should now work here in Ukraine to destroy Russia’s terrorist ambitions,” the Ukrainian head of state said.
Since the failure of its counter-offensive in the summer of 2023, Ukraine has been on the defensive. Russia has taken the initiative and is gaining ground in the East, despite heavy losses since the start of the year, facing a Ukrainian army lacking, in particular, ammunition.
In recent days, Moscow has claimed the conquest of several villages.
On Monday, the Russian army said it had taken Semenivka, and the day before it claimed occupation of Novobakhmutivka.
On Sunday, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Syrsky, admitted that the situation on the front had “deteriorated”, the Russian troops, superior in weaponry and soldiers, having achieved “tactical successes” in several areas.
According to him, the Russian army “concentrated its efforts in several sectors, thus creating a significant advantage in terms of forces and means”, in order to “attempt to take the strategic initiative and break through the front line”.
The head of Ukrainian military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov predicted last week that the situation would worsen around mid-May and early June, which will be a “difficult period” for Ukraine.
reference: www.lapresse.ca