Was Russia aware of the details of the Ukrainian counter-offensive? This is what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday during a press conference, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the conflict. “Our counter-offensive plans were on the Kremlin’s table before the actions began,” he said. He explained that to address “information leaks” in the future, his military leaders were developing several battle plans for 2024.
The great Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer of 2023 came up against powerful Russian defense lines which exhausted the resources of the Ukrainian army without allowing the regions occupied by Russia to be liberated. From now on, it is Russian forces who are on the offensive against Ukrainian troops lacking ammunition.
kyiv said on Sunday that half of the promised Western weapons were delivered late. The Ukrainian president had already argued that delays in arms deliveries had contributed to the failure of the counter-offensive. As for American aid of 60 billion dollars, crucial for Ukraine, it is currently blocked by Donald Trump’s Republican troops, the majority in Congress. But Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “sure” of a “positive” vote.
kyiv asks for more ammunition
Victory against Russia “depends on you”, Volodymyr Zelensky told his Western allies on Sunday. Asked about the possibility of Kiev’s defeat, the president specifically replied that “whether Ukraine will lose, whether the situation will be very difficult and whether there will be a large number of victims depends on you, of our partners, of the Western world.”
In recent days, the Ukrainian leader has repeatedly urged his Western allies to deliver military assistance more quickly, calling in particular for ammunition, more air defense systems and combat aircraft. “If we are strong, with weapons, we will not lose this war,” he assured.
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Regarding the losses in the ranks of the Ukrainian army, and while kyiv lacks recruits after two years of conflict, Volodymyr Zelensky declared that “31,000 Ukrainian soldiers died in this war”. “Not 300,000, not 150,000, as Putin and his circle of liars say,” he said.
On the front, the Ukrainian army is facing an extremely difficult situation since their recent withdrawal from the town of Avdiivka, conquered by the Russian army after four months of violent fighting and heavy losses. Moscow’s soldiers are pushing ever harder on the Southern and Eastern fronts, without however obtaining a major breakthrough. Strikes also continue on Ukrainian territory, targeted daily by Russian missiles and drones.