Russia,which sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022,holds swathes of territory in the south and east. Ukraine launched a big push to recapture land this northern summer,but progress has been slow against entrenched Russian positions.
Maliar reported Ukrainian “successes” in the south-east,including near Staromayorske,a village near a cluster of hamlets that Ukraine recaptured in the Donetsk region this summer.
1700 drones are displayed before being sent to the frontline,to be used against Russian forces in Kyiv,Ukraine.Credit:AP
“Battles continue near Staromayorske,our defenders have successes,they were gaining a foothold on the reached frontiers,” she said.
In the east,Maliar said Ukrainian forces continued to repel Russian advances in the direction of Kupiansk and Lyman,which Ukraine liberated last year.
Fierce fighting raged,she said,near the villages of Klishchiivka,Kurdyumivka and Andriivka on the southern flank of Bakhmut,a small city reduced to ruins in a bloody,months-long battle that gave Russian forces control of the area for now.
Ukrainian servicemen,of the 10th separate mountain assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,prepare to fire a mortar at their positions at a front line,amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine,near the city of Bakhmut on July 13.Credit:Reuters
White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday that Ukraine’s counter-offensive was “not a stalemate” even if it wasn’t progressing fast enough.
Kirby made the remarks when asked about the pace of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in a press briefing.
“President Zelensky himself has said that it’s not progressing as fast as he would like and they’re not moving as far every day as they would like. The United States is not going to take a position on that,” Kirby said.
He added:“That said they are moving,it’s not a stalemate. They’re not just frozen. The Ukrainians are moving.”
President Joe Biden meets with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.Credit:AP
Kirby said Washington would “make sure that they[Ukrainians] have the kinds of tools and capabilities they need to stay on the move”.
More than $US43 billion ($63 billion) in US military aid has been provided since Russia’s invasion began. The US Department of Defence announced $US400 million in additional security assistance for Ukraine earlier this week,including air defence missiles,armoured vehicles and small drones.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that while Ukraine has recaptured half the territory that Russia initially seized in its invasion,the counter-offensive was in its early days and would take shape over “several months”.
Reuters
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