Critics of the Ukrainian armed forces’ counteroffensive against Russian troops should “shut up,” Ukraine’s foreign minister said on the sidelines of a meeting of the 27 foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain.
While the Ukrainian counter-offensive launched in June in the east and south is proving very difficult, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba assured Le Monde that “there is no reason to change strategy because we don’t see a change in Russian strategy.” Critics of the counteroffensive should “keep their mouths shut,” he also said on the sidelines of a meeting of the 27 foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain. Franceinfo looks back at the highlights of the day.
A difficult counteroffensive, but not impossible, according to Kiev
This is essentially the message that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba conveyed to Le Monde in an interview. “The counteroffensive (…) is tough because the Russian defensive lines are tough. But we are making progress. There is no reason to change the strategy because we see no change in the Russian strategy,” he assures French daily.
Critics of the Ukrainian armed forces’ counteroffensive against Russian troops should “keep their mouths shut,” said Dmytro Kouleba on the sidelines of a meeting of 27 foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain. “Criticizing the slowness of the counteroffensive amounts to spitting in the face of the Ukrainian soldier who is sacrificing his life,” he said.
The Ukrainian counter-offensive launched in June in the east and south is proving very difficult as progress in square kilometers is declining. In particular, it must face solid Russian defenses, consisting of trenches, anti-tank obstacles and minefields stretching for hundreds of kilometers.
Six soldiers were killed when two attack helicopters crashed in the east
Six Ukrainian soldiers died when two attack helicopters crashed in eastern Ukraine, where the Kiev army is conducting a counteroffensive against Russian forces, the Ukrainian National Investigation Bureau (SBI) announced.
The SBI added: “Special attention will be paid to examining the technical condition of the helicopters and compliance with flight readiness rules. The version of sabotage or destruction of helicopters by the enemy is also being investigated.”
Turkey considers resumption of agreement on grain exports from Ukraine “essential”
The resumption of the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain is “essential” for global food security and the stability of the Black Sea region, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during a visit to Moscow.
“We reiterated our belief that the resumption of the agreement will restore stability in both areas,” he added during a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
In July, Russia withdrew from the agreement that allowed Ukraine to export its grain and has since threatened to attack ships sailing from Ukraine in the Black Sea.