Kiev has “considerable, not yet deployed combat capability” and is currently retaining it, said the US chief of staff.
After the end of Ukraine’s grain deal, there were numerous reactions, revealing a concerned but equally divided international community. On the ground, Moscow claimed a rare advance of a mile and a half, and Washington said it was “far too early” to say whether or not Ukraine’s counteroffensive had failed.
According to Washington, Kiev still has “considerable” reserves for its counteroffensive
Asked about a possible stalemate in Ukraine’s counteroffensive, US Chief of Staff Mark Milley said Ukrainians are facing Russian soldiers who have time to build strong defenses, including massive minefields, barbed wire or trenches.
>> War in Ukraine: How the Russian army developed gigantic defense lines
Kyiv has “significant combat capability that has not yet been deployed” and is currently retaining it, Mark Milley said. “They are advancing through these minefields, slowly, deliberately and steadily, and it’s a tough fight.” For him it was “far too early” to say whether this counter-offensive had failed. “It will take a long time, it will be difficult and it will be bloody,” he added.
“Offensive operations” in Kupyansk
The Russian army reported a rare advance of a kilometer and a half on Tuesday. “In the Kupyansk area, the units of the western group are successfully continuing their offensive operations (…) The total advance was up to two kilometers in front and up to one and a half kilometers deep,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
He also stated that in Odessa he touched the sites that Kiev used to prepare for the previous day’s attack on the important Crimean bridge. “Overnight, Russian forces launched a retaliatory strike… against facilities where naval drones were preparing terrorist attacks against Russia,” the ministry said.
The G20 are at odds over the conflict in Ukraine
The situation in Ukraine deeply divides the international community. The G20 heads of state and government gathered in India were unable to find a compromise, particularly due to the differences over the conflict in Ukraine. They couldn’t agree, “Because[ils n’ont] There is still no common language on the war between Russia and Ukraine,” said Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s finance minister, who chaired the meeting.
G20 talks ended a day after Moscow refused to extend a deal allowing Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea. The Indian minister assured that a decision was condemned by “several members” of the G20. South Africa’s finance minister expressed concern about the potential impact on food prices, which would hit the poorest countries “strongly”. “What keeps me up at night is the suspicion that silently separates the North and South of the planet at a time when we must unite,” said the World Bank President.
The international community is worried about the end of the Ukrainian grain agreement
“I call on stakeholders to resolve the issues to allow the resumption of safe and secure transportation of grain and fertilizers from Ukraine and Russia to regions in need, including Africa,” said the President of the African Union Commission.
“He decided to make a weapon out of food (…) I think that’s a big mistake,” said Emmanuel Macron, speaking in English, after a summit of heads of state or government of the countries of the European Union in Brussels ( Belgium). and Latin America. The end of the grain deal shows that “the king is naked, let alone the tsar,” the head of state added in another reply in French.
The final declaration by the heads of state and government gathered in Brussels was less drastic. They expressed their “deep concern about the ongoing war against Ukraine” without mentioning Moscow. Even this minimal formulation could not be accepted unanimously as Nicaragua refused to go along with it. The drafting of this press release, in which the Europeans wanted to include a reference to Russian aggression, sparked lengthy discussions before and during this summit meeting of EU and Latin American and Caribbean Community (CELAC) leaders, which took place on Monday and Tuesday in the Belgian capital.