President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that Russian forces were throwing everything they can at Kyivs troops fighting to retake land in the south and east, again emphasizing the grueling nature of a counteroffensive that is moving more slowly than some allies had hoped and later stressing the importance of their continued support.
Ukrainian troops have made only small gains since launching the widely anticipated campaign in June, and in recent weeks, they appear to have stalled in some areas in the face of staunch Russian defenses. Casualties are mounting, and American officials have said that Ukraine has also lost newly provided Western armored vehicles in field after field of land mines.
Mr. Zelensky, who has defended the pace of the counteroffensive, said in his nightly address late Friday that he had had a detailed meeting earlier in the day with his top commanders to discuss the front lines and logistics including weapons and the rational use of shells, supplies from partners, an apparent reference to the rate at which Ukraines 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 said. Every thousand meters of advance, every success of each of our combat brigades deserves gratitude.
Mr. Zelensky has repeatedly pressed his Western allies for increasingly sophisticated weapons, and he secured new pledges this week from allies at the NATO summit in Lithuania, including long-range missiles from France and more tank ammunition from Germany. But it was not immediately clear how soon those weapons would arrive, or how significant a boost they could provide 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 visit. In a statement after his meeting with the South Korean leader, Mr. Zelensky made no mention of whether they had discussed lethal military assistance.
But he later acknowledged the diplomatic blitz of the last week, listing all the allies hed met and saying in a Twitter post that he was grateful to every leader, every politician, public figure, every country who really supports Ukraine.
Mr. Zelenskys choice of words bore particular resonance, coming just days after some allies suggested he demonstrate more gratitude for the billions in military assistance already offered.
When the speed of ending the war directly depends on global support for Ukraine, we are doing everything possible to ensure that such support is as intensive and meaningful as possible, he said on Saturday evening.
The United States has acknowledged that Ukrainian forces are running low on ammunition, which was one reason that President Biden gave in agreeing last week over the objections of allies to send cluster munitions to Ukraine. The weapons are highly dangerous for civilians and are outlawed by all but a few countries, including the United States, Russia and Ukraine.
While the cluster munitions have started arriving in Ukraine, American officials and military analysts have warned that they probably will not be an immediate help.
Ukraines top commander, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, told The Washington Post in an interview published on Friday that his military was still lacking the necessary resources to defeat Russia and criticized allies who have argued that it does not need F-16s.
The defense ministers of Denmark and the Netherlands announced this past week that they had gathered 11 countries to help train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets as soon as next month. Mr. Biden agreed in May to drop his objections to giving F-16s to Ukraine, though that may not happen until next year.
Ukraine has also been asking the United States for long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, which have a range of about 190 miles about 40 miles more than missiles that France and Britain are providing. American and European officials have said that the Biden administration, after months of maintaining it would not provide the weapons for fear of further provoking Russia, is considering whether to send a few to Ukraine.
While Mr. Yoons visit to Ukraine did not appear to have changed Seouls stance on weapons, the trip was a notable show of support.
Seoul, which is reluctant to openly antagonize Moscow, has declined to send lethal aid and has imposed strict export control rules on its global weapons sales. It has also provided humanitarian aid and financial support to Ukraine for mine removal, power grid restoration and reconstruction projects.
However, Mr. Yoon has indicated that Seoul might be willing to consider sending Ukraine military aid in the event of a large-scale attack on civilians.
He visited the towns of Bucha and Irpin which became synonymous with Russian atrocities in the earliest days of the invasion upon arrival on Saturday, Mr. Yoons office said, and then met with Mr. Zelensky.
After the meeting, Mr. Zelensky said he was grateful to Mr. Yoon for supporting Ukraines efforts for peace and security along with new initiatives of financial, technical and humanitarian support.
In the meantime, Ukraines military continued to report fierce fighting in the countrys south and east, saying that Russian forces in southern Ukraine were focused on preventing the further advance of Kyivs troops fighting in the direction of two Russian-occupied cities, Melitopol and Berdiansk.
Heres what else is happening in the war:
Russian shelling killed one man and injured another in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, the regional military administration said in a statement.
Some Wagner troops appear to have started to relocate, with a convoy of dozens of vehicles seen in a video verified by The Times driving on a highway in Russia, possibly toward Belarus. Questions about the fighters future have swirled since a deal to end their mutiny in Russia last month included an arrangement for voluntary exile in Belarus.
Aleksandr Kots, a war correspondent for the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, posted videos on Saturday showing the convoy moving north in western Russia. Many of the vehicles were flying Russian and Wagner flags, and they were being escorted by a Russian police car.
Furthermore, a monitoring group in Belarus that tracks troop movements said on Twitter that a large convoy carrying Wagner fighters was seen entering Belarus from Russia early on Saturday. The column included at least 60 vehicles, and it appeared to be headed toward Asipovichy, a town about 55 miles south of the capital, Minsk, according to the group, Belarusian Hajun Project. Ukrainian television has reported Wagner mercenaries have been training conscripts there. The report that the troops are in Belarus could not be independently confirmed, and it remains unclear if the videos seen by The Times were of the same convoy reported by the Hajun group. However, a satellite image captured Saturday by geospatial intelligence company BlackSky and analyzed by The Times shows what appears to be new vehicles or shipping containers near garages at the recently built military field camp in Asipovichy.
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia told President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa in a phone call, two days before a U.N.-brokered agreement that enables Ukraine to export its grain is set to expire, that commitments to Moscow set out by the deal remained unfulfilled, the Kremlin said.
Russia has repeatedly threatened to pull out of the deal, complaining that Western sanctions have restricted the sale of its agricultural products. The conversation comes as South Africa grapples with Mr. Putins possible attendance at a summit in Johannesburg. Mr. Putin faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, and as a member of the court, South Africa is obligated to arrest him if he enters the country.
John Yoon contributed reporting from Seoul, and Christoph Koettl from New York.
Follow this link:
Russia Doing Everything to Stop Ukraines Counteroffensive, Zelensky Says - The New York Times
- Russia urges all sides to 'show restraint' after Iranian drone, missile attack on Israel - The Times of Israel - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- China, Russia and Iran Are Rebuilding Empires to Defeat US, Europe - Bloomberg - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- Ukraine appears to strike weapons system that's 'backbone' of Russia's EW - Business Insider - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- Biden's Call: Survivors Say Russians Tortured Them With Twisted Sexual Abuse Named After Biden - The Daily Beast - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- Drones saturate the skies over Ukraine, largely paralyzing battlefield - The Washington Post - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- Ukrainians confront the once unthinkable: Losing war to Russia - Los Angeles Times - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- US intelligence finding shows China surging equipment sales to Russia to help war effort in Ukraine - The Associated Press - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- Reporter's notebook: Finland, happiness, saunas, NATO and the threat from Russia - USA TODAY - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- Russian troops advance in Ukraine as Kyiv runs low on air defenses - The Washington Post - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- Situation in east Ukraine has 'deteriorated significantly,' Kyiv commander says - POLITICO Europe - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- Water levels rise and homes flood in Russia after a dam bursts near the Kazakhstan border - The Associated Press - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- Trump thought Ukraine must be part of Russia during presidency, book says - The Guardian US - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- Former Trump Adviser Fiona Hill Says Trump Believed Ukraine Was 'Part Of Russia' - Forbes - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- US Imposes Sanctions on Use of Russian Metals on Exchanges - Bloomberg - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- Russia Is Buying Politicians in Europe. Is It Happening Here Too? - The New Republic - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- Western weakness in Ukraine could provoke a far bigger war with Russia - Atlantic Council - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- NATO Countries Struggle to Recruit Troops to Counter Russia Threat - Foreign Policy - April 14th, 2024 [April 14th, 2024]
- Russia-Ukraine war live: US House speaker negotiates with White House over wartime funding for Ukraine - The Guardian - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- FBI chief to share concerns of organized attack in US after Russia massacre - The Hill - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- After Russia, FBI concerned about coordinated attack in US - NewsNation Now - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- How Russia's disinformation campaign seeps into US views - Voice of America - VOA News - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Russia-Ukraine war: Ukraine parliament passes law to boost conscripts and fill army ranks - The Associated Press - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- U.S. Commander in Europe Says Russia Is a 'Chronic Threat' to World - Department of Defense - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- WATCH: Pentagon holds news briefing as general warns Ukraine will soon be outgunned by Russia - PBS NewsHour - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Ukraine war: How to check Russia's momentum - The Interpreter - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- What Washington got wrong about Niger and Russia - Responsible Statecraft - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Ukraine war: battlefield tipping in Russia's favour as Kyiv begs allies for more arms - The Conversation - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Ukrainian parliament adopts law to expand military draft - The Washington Post - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Russian Orthodox Church declares Holy War against Ukraine and West - Atlantic Council - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- In Russia's Far East, a new heavy-lift rocket blasts off into space after two aborted launches - The Associated Press - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Why are floods in Russia and Kazakhstan so bad this year? - Reuters - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Russian Air Force Has Lost 10 Percent of Fleet in Ukraine - Air & Space Forces Magazine - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Russia and the Far-Right: Insights From Ten European Countries - International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - The Hague - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Russia's migrants and ethnic minorities shiver at new Putin terror crackdown - POLITICO Europe - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- France talks tough on Ukraine while gobbling up more Russian gas - POLITICO Europe - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Opinion | Everyone Wants to Seize Russia's Money. It's a Terrible Idea. - The New York Times - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Russia Seizes Over 650,000 Acres Of Farmland And Other Assets From Company With Ties To 'Unfriendly' Country - Yahoo Finance - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- New Plot Striking the Heart of Russia Is Nightmare for Putin - The Daily Beast - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Russia's army is 15% larger than when it attacked Ukraine: US general - Business Insider - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- 'His life is at risk': Lawmaker calls for release of jailed Russia critic - MSNBC - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Tommy Tubervilles line on Ukraine, Russia goes from bad to worse - MSNBC - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- An Arctic 'Great Game' as NATO allies and Russia face off in far north - The Washington Post - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Trouble in Paradise? New Disputes Cloud Russia-Turkey Relations - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- What We Know About the Crimea Bridge Attack - The New York Times - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Russia Looks to Economic Redistribution to Shore Up the Regime - The Moscow Times - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Biden and emissary for Pope Francis to meet on Russia's deportations of Ukrainian children - POLITICO - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Russia: Ukraine to blame for fatal attack on key bridge in Crimea - The Hill - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Opinion | How Putin Broke Russia - The New York Times - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Explosions on Crimean Bridge Disrupt Key Link to Russia - The New York Times - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Moscow halts grain deal in what UN calls a global blow to people in need - Yahoo News - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Explosions disrupt traffic on a key bridge from Crimea to Russia's mainland - NPR - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Ukrainian helicopter crew say women flash them as they fly overhead to boost their morale fighting Russia - Yahoo News - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Russia halts traffic over Crimea bridge after Ukrainian attack - Financial Times - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Key Russian bridge to Crimea is struck again, with Moscow blaming Kyiv for attack that killed 2 - Yahoo News - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- The bridge to Crimea is crucial to Russia's war effort in Ukraine and to asserting Moscow's control - Yahoo News - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Russia's Embassy in Washington is enmeshed in a different kind of war. - The New York Times - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- A deal that lets Ukraine export grain during its war with Russia is about to expire - NPR - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- China and Russia to Hold Joint Naval Drills - The Moscow Times - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- UK announces new sanctions in response to Russia's forced ... - GOV.UK - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Russia Looks to Economic Redistribution to Shore Up the Regime - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Raiffeisen Bank Hopes War Ends 'Soon' to Avoid Costly Russia Exit Reuters - The Moscow Times - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Ex-Wagner Group soldier on the failed rebellion in Russia, Prigozhin fallout - Yahoo News - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Who Is Aleksandr Lukashenko? - The New York Times - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Photos Leak of Russias Mercenary Boss in Ridiculous Disguises - Yahoo! Voices - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- U.S. is expected to announce it will send cluster munitions to Ukraine - NPR - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- The Russia-Ukraine War Changed This Finland Company Forever - The New York Times - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Russia is split, chain of command crumbles Zelenskyy - Yahoo News - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Russia Now Using Parachute Flares In Attempts To Down U.S. MQ-9 Reapers - The War Zone - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Explosions in Lviv in Western Ukraine Injure at Least 4 - The New York Times - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Pentagon Aims to Stop China and Russia from Spying on Academia | Air & Space Forces Magazine - Air & Space Forces Magazine - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Putin says Russia positions nuclear bombs in Belarus as warning to West - Reuters - June 16th, 2023 [June 16th, 2023]
- Russia says it destroyed Leopard tanks, it turned out to be tractors - Euronews - June 16th, 2023 [June 16th, 2023]
- The Straits Times - Peace is not 'no war' and derisking has risks: Josep Borrell | EEAS - EEAS - June 16th, 2023 [June 16th, 2023]
- Russia's latest space agency mission: raising a militia for the war in Ukraine - Financial Times - June 16th, 2023 [June 16th, 2023]
- Blinken: US has no reason to adjust nuclear posture over Russias weapons transfer to Belarus - The Hill - June 16th, 2023 [June 16th, 2023]
- Orbn still vetoing EU's Russia sanctions over bank insult - EUobserver - June 16th, 2023 [June 16th, 2023]
- Putin's Silence Heralds the Return of Russia's Governors as a Political Force - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - June 16th, 2023 [June 16th, 2023]
- How Russia Went from Ally to Adversary - The New Yorker - June 16th, 2023 [June 16th, 2023]
- Opinion | Joining NATO Wont Keep the Peace in Ukraine - The New York Times - June 16th, 2023 [June 16th, 2023]
- Putin touts Russian economy as Western investors steer clear of St. Petersburg event - The Associated Press - June 16th, 2023 [June 16th, 2023]