In an interview published Friday, the Ukrainian Chief of Staff, General Valery Zaluzhny, called on the West to supply his forces with more weapons, warning that their lack of fighter jets and artillery would impede their plans to move forward with their counterattack.
Zalogny told The Washington Post that he was frustrated by the slow delivery of weapons promised by the West to Ukraine.
He added, “It bothers me” that some in the West are complaining about the slow start and progress of the long-awaited counter-offensive against Russian forces in the south of the country.
He reminded that his country’s allies could not launch an attack without ensuring their air superiority, but Ukraine was still waiting for the promised F-16 fighters.
He said, “I do not need 120 planes. I will not threaten the whole world. A very limited number will suffice.”
He continued, “But they are needed because there is no other way, as the enemy uses a different generation of aircraft” than those currently owned by the Ukrainian Air Force.
He also complained that the artillery shells in his country are much less than those used by Russia in the war.
Zalogny reminded that he is in constant contact with his country’s Western partners, who inform them of its needs, such as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Army, General Mark Milley, but the latter alone cannot make the decision in this regard, according to Zalogny.
He explained that it is a matter of making a decision but “until that decision is made, many people die every day — many. Just because the decision has not been made yet.”
And he added, “This is not a play.. This is not a play that the whole world is watching and betting on. Every day, every meter is snatched away with blood.”
In response to his Ukrainian counterpart’s statement, the US Chief of Staff told the press, on Friday: “We are providing them with all possible assistance.”
Gen. Milley highlighted that supplying the Ukrainian forces with F-16 fighters or tactical missiles of the “Atakms” type is a topic “on the table, but no decision has been taken in this regard so far.”
He added that the Ukrainian counterattack “is going slower than we expected,” but “this is how war is. This matter does not surprise anyone at all.”
However, General Milli noted, however, that the Ukrainian army “is making continuous progress,” as it “advances 500 meters, a thousand meters, or two thousand meters a day.”
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2023-06-30 23:23:02
