Washington advises postponing the “counterattack”… and “crowding” on the route of Western military supplies
Russia said yesterday that its forces had penetrated two fortified lines of Ukrainian defense on the eastern front in the Donbass, while Kiev confirmed that its forces were able to repel the Russian attacks, recognizing, at the same time, the difficulty of the situation.
And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed, on Wednesday, that Ukrainian soldiers are “strongly” holding on to their positions in Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine. “This is the most difficult point, the hottest one,” Zelensky said during a press conference in Kiev with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Christson. He added, “It is not easy for our soldiers in the east, but it is no coincidence that we are talking about Fort Bakhmut. Our fortress is still alive.”
The military administration in Kiev said yesterday that it had detected six Russian balloons flying over the capital, and that air defenses had shot down most of them. She added, via the “Telegram” application, that the balloons may have been carrying angle reflectors and reconnaissance equipment.
Meanwhile, the United States and NATO have vowed that Western support will not budge in the face of the Russian offensive, with reports that Washington has advised Kiev to delay its upcoming counterattack pending the receipt of the huge quantities of Western military equipment that were promised. In this context, pictures of American armored vehicles being sent to Kiev were published, amid talk of “crowding” on the roads of Western support. Because of the large number of weapons that are being sent.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday that “providing the Ukrainians with the weapons they were promised to preserve their ability to defend themselves is a priority.” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Western allies could help Ukraine more quickly by bolstering its position on the ground rather than focusing on its request for aircraft.
A tenth package of European sanctions against Moscow on the first anniversary of the war
