NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg continues to support an advance by Ukrainian forces against the Russian attackers. “We have to be prepared for the long term. Wars are by nature unpredictable,” Stoltenberg said in Berlin. “What we do know is that what happens around a negotiating table is inextricably linked to the situation on the battlefield,” he said.
Only military support can ensure that Ukraine remains a sovereign and democratic state; this alone will convince Russian President Vladimir Putin that he cannot win on the battlefield.
Army chief warns against trench warfare
The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Valeriy Zalushny, said last week that the ground war in Ukraine had reached a stalemate. He also warned in an article for the British magazine ‘The Economist’: ‘Trench war would take a long time and entail enormous risks for the armed forces of Ukraine and for the state.’ To gain the upper hand, Ukraine would first need air sovereignty of all, Saluschnyi said – and with it more Western support.
Stoltenberg said it was always clear it wasn’t easy. “We knew that Russia had been expanding defense lines for months – with mines, anti-tank barriers, with many defensive positions.” Nevertheless, the Ukrainians managed to recapture areas.
Praises support from Germany
Stoltenberg had met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz the day before and wanted to speak to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (both SPD) on Friday. He praised German military support and avoided taking a clear position on whether the federal government should also give Ukraine the German Taurus cruise missiles demanded by Kiev, something Scholz has repeatedly rejected.
“Ultimately it is a national decision which exactly systems will be delivered. “I welcome the fact that Britain and France have supplied cruise missiles,” Stoltenberg said. However, Germany has supplied Ukraine with other essential weapons, including tanks and effective air defense systems.
Deaths and injuries in Russian attacks
Meanwhile, Russian troops resumed shelling of residential areas in the embattled southern Ukrainian region of Kherson on Thursday. According to Ukrainian information, a 72-year-old man died in the regional capital. Two other people were injured. In the port city of Skadosk, the Russian occupiers on the other side of the front also reported several deaths and at least eleven injuries. This could not be independently verified.
Russia, which has been waging a war of aggression for more than 20 months, currently occupies about a fifth of Ukrainian territory. Last year, the Ukrainian army managed to liberate part of occupied Kherson. Since then, however, this area has come under heavy fire from Russian troops stationed further across the Dnipro River.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
