Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied on Saturday that his country’s war with Russia was in a “stalemate” after a senior Ukrainian commander said this week that the two armies were locked in battle dress and positions.
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“Time has passed today and people are tired (…) But we are not in a dead end,” Mr. Zelensky said during a news conference in Kiev with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Since June, Ukraine has been waging a slow counteroffensive to liberate the occupied territories in the east and south.
However, so far progress has been very limited. The more than 1,000 km long front line has barely moved for almost a year and the liberation of the city of Kherson in November 2022.
The Kremlin also assured on Thursday that the conflict in Ukraine was not at a “dead end” and disputed comments made by the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Valery Zalouzhny, in an interview with The Economist.
“Just like in the First World War, we have reached a technological level that we are at a dead end,” Zalouzhny told the British weekly.
“There probably won’t be a grand, profound breakthrough,” he added.
President Zelensky on Saturday denied any pressure from Western countries to start negotiations with Russia.
AFP
He acknowledged that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas had “diverted attention” from the war between Ukraine and Russia.
“It is obvious that the war in the Middle East, this conflict, is distracting attention,” he commented.
“We have already found ourselves in very difficult situations where we almost did not focus on Ukraine,” Mr. Zelensky noted, adding: “I am absolutely sure that we will overcome this challenge.”
Ukraine’s supporters, particularly the United States, reiterate that they will support Kiev militarily and financially until Russia’s defeat.