President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine mentioned that Russian forces had been throwing “everything they can” at Kyiv’s troops combating to retake land within the south and east, once more emphasizing the grueling nature of a counteroffensive that’s transferring extra slowly than some allies had hoped.
Ukrainian troops have made solely small beneficial properties since launching the broadly anticipated marketing campaign in June, and in latest weeks, they seem to have stalled in some areas within the face of staunch Russian defenses. Casualties are mounting, and American officers have mentioned that Ukraine has additionally misplaced newly supplied Western armored automobiles in subject after subject of land mines.
Mr. Zelensky, who has defended the tempo of the counteroffensive, mentioned in his in a single day deal with late Friday that he had had a “detailed” assembly earlier within the day along with his prime commanders to debate the entrance strains and “logistics” — together with weapons and the “rational use of shells, supplies from partners,” an obvious reference to the speed at which Ukraine’s forces are expending ammunition.
“We must all understand very clearly — as clearly as possible — that the Russian forces on our southern and eastern lands are investing everything they can to stop our warriors,” he mentioned. “Every thousand meters of advance, every success of each of our combat brigades deserves gratitude.”
Mr. Zelensky has repeatedly pressed his Western allies for more and more refined weapons, and he secured new pledges this week from allies on the NATO summit in Lithuania, together with long-range missiles from France and extra tank ammunition from Germany. But it was not instantly clear how quickly these weapons would arrive, or how important a lift they may present for the counteroffensive.
One ally that has resisted sending weapons to Ukraine is South Korea, whose president, Yoon Suk Yeol, arrived in Ukraine on Saturday for an unannounced go to. In an announcement after his assembly with the South Korean chief, Mr. Zelensky made no point out of whether or not they had mentioned deadly army help.
The United States has acknowledged that Ukrainian forces are operating low on ammunition, which was one cause that President Biden agreed final week over the objections of allies to ship cluster munitions to Ukraine. The weapons are extremely harmful for civilians and are outlawed by all however a couple of international locations, together with the United States, Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine’s prime commander, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, advised The Washington Post in an interview revealed on Friday that his army was nonetheless missing the mandatory sources to defeat Russia and criticized allies who’ve argued that it doesn’t want F-16s.
The protection ministers of Denmark and the Netherlands introduced this previous week that they’d gathered 11 international locations to assist prepare Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets as quickly as subsequent month. Mr. Biden agreed in May to drop his objections to giving Ukraine F-16s, although that won’t occur till subsequent yr.
Ukraine has additionally been asking the United States for long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, which have a spread of about 190 miles — about 40 miles greater than missiles that France and Britain are offering. American and European officers have mentioned that the Biden administration, after months of sustaining it will not present the weapons for worry of additional frightening Russia, is contemplating whether or not to ship a couple of to Ukraine.
While Mr. Yoon’s go to to Ukraine didn’t seem to have modified Seoul’s stance on weapons, the journey was a notable present of help.
Seoul, which is reluctant to overtly antagonize Moscow, has declined to ship deadly assist and has imposed strict export management guidelines on its world weapons gross sales. It has additionally supplied humanitarian assist and monetary help to Ukraine for mine removing, energy grid restoration and reconstruction initiatives.
However, Mr. Yoon has indicated that Seoul is perhaps prepared to think about sending Ukraine army assist within the occasion of a large-scale assault on civilians.
He visited the cities of Bucha and Irpin — which turned synonymous with Russian atrocities within the earliest days of the invasion — upon arrival on Saturday, Mr. Yoon’s workplace mentioned, after which met with Mr. Zelensky.
After the assembly, Mr. Zelensky mentioned he was “grateful” to Mr. Yoon for supporting Ukraine’s efforts for peace and safety — together with “new initiatives of financial, technical and humanitarian support.”
In the meantime, Ukraine’s army continued to report fierce combating within the nation’s south and east, saying that Russian forces in southern Ukraine had been targeted on “preventing the further advance” of Kyiv’s troops combating within the route of two key Russian-occupied cities, Melitopol and Berdiansk.
Here’s what else is going on within the battle:
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Russian shelling killed one man and injured one other within the Kharkiv area of northeastern Ukraine, the regional army administration mentioned in an announcement.
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A spokesman for Ukraine’s border service mentioned that “available information shows” that some fighters with the Wagner mercenary group had “been observed in Belarus.” The feedback got here a day after Belarus’s Ministry of Defense mentioned Wagner mercenaries had been coaching its safety forces. Questions concerning the fighters’ future have swirled since a deal to finish their mutiny in Russia final month included an association for voluntary exile in Belarus. There is little proof they’ve gone there in giant numbers.
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President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia advised President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa in a cellphone name, two days earlier than a U.N.-brokered settlement that permits Ukraine to export its grain is ready to run out, that commitments to Moscow set out by the deal remained “unfulfilled,” the Kremlin mentioned.
Russia has repeatedly threatened to tug out of the deal, complaining that Western sanctions have restricted the sale of its agricultural merchandise. The dialog comes as South Africa grapples with Mr. Putin’s attainable attendance at a summit in Johannesburg. Mr. Putin faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, and as a member of the court docket, South Africa is obligated to arrest him if he enters.
John Yoon contributed reporting from Seoul.
Source: www.nytimes.com