By the Associated Press’s Hanna Arhirova
Ukraine’s KYIV (AP) Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, claims that Ukrainian forces are halting Russia’s concentrated summer offensive to breach defenses along portions of the front line.
They’re not moving forward. Our men out there are having a very difficult time. In remarks that were prohibited until Friday, Zelenskyy told reporters on Thursday that “it’s tough everywhere.” The Russians are also having a really difficult time, which is wonderful for us.
The conflict, which is in its fourth year following Russia’s invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, is depleting resources on both sides, despite the fact that Russia has more manpower and resources to continue the conflict. Ukraine is looking to its Western allies for more assistance.
Although Russia claims to have taken certain towns and hamlets in recent weeks, its forces have not taken any urban areas with superior defenses.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian forces have thwarted Russian sabotage and reconnaissance teams’ repeated attempts to carry out small-scale incursions close to Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region in order to capture symbolic imagery, such as hoisting a Russian flag.
In recent years, it has occurred five to seven times, occasionally involving just two or six persons. According to Zelenskyy, they once attempted to hold a position with twelve people, but our troops killed them all.
Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian forces had made gains in the last six weeks and said that the situation in the northeastern Sumy border region was far better than it had been in recent months.
Russia has also stepped up its shelling of Ukrainian cities; on Friday, it dropped a powerful glide bomb on Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, for the second day in a row. Officials reported seven injuries. Forty-two were hurt on Thursday.
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The United Nations deputy humanitarian chief, Joyce Msuya, informed the Security Council on Friday that Russia’s increasing strikes on civilian locations around Ukraine are making the country’s humanitarian situation worse.
According to her, there is no longer any safe area in Ukraine.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine is collaborating with foreign partners to acquire ten missile-defeating Patriot air defense systems, three of which have already been verified from Germany and Norway.
According to him, the Trump administration will sell the systems, but Ukraine will need to get funds for all ten. The cost of each system exceeds $1 billion.
Additionally, Ukraine is attempting to secure a license to produce the Patriot systems on its own.
Although he stated Kremlin envoys had started to explore the idea of a leaders’ meeting with Ukraine, the Ukrainian leader expressed little expectation for success in direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations.
The war must stop, and a summit of leaders is most likely the first step in that direction. Zelenskyy stated that there is no alternative way to deal with the Russians.
But the Kremlin is still opposed to high-level negotiations before a possible comprehensive peace deal is developed.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated Friday that a high-level meeting can and should be held to finalize the settlement and seal the agreements and modalities that have not yet been worked out by experts. There is no other way to behave.
Regarding domestic politics, Zelenskyy stated that public demonstrations against modifications made to Ukraine’s anti-corruption law earlier this week were valid.Zelenskyy proposed new laws to restore the independence of the anti-graft agency after the modifications jeopardized the independence of anti-graft watchdogs and prompted criticism from international rights organizations and European Union officials.
It’s critical that society speaks up. “I respect society’s opinion,” Zelenskyy stated. Changes were requested. We answered.
On Thursday night, protesters assembled for the third day, but fewer people showed up.
He added that the unity of our state is the most crucial factor in this conflict and that those agencies must be fully independent. Maintaining unity is crucial.
But there is still a chance that the revised bill won’t be approved by Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, which might result in even more people taking to the streets. In a vote set for July 31, Zelenskyy said he was confident it would pass.
Right now, the bill’s existence is what matters most. It is registered. I think there will be enough votes for it. “That’s what I want,” he said.
New Yorker Farnoush Amiri made a contribution.
