NATO leader warns against ever underestimating Russia.
(Baonghean.vn) - Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that despite "unprecedented" support from the West, Kyiv's forces have been unable to move the front lines.
According to RT, in an interview with the press on November 27, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine's failure to break through Russian defenses over the past year has led NATO to believe that "Russia should never be underestimated."
In a press briefing ahead of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting, Stoltenberg was asked whether the US-led bloc could and would arm Ukraine to launch another counteroffensive against Russian forces this spring.
Mr. Stoltenberg stated that NATO members are "unwavering" in their commitment to Kyiv, pointing to the "unprecedented" amount of weapons and equipment these countries have sent to Ukraine, as well as upcoming arms deliveries – including air defense systems and fighter jets – and recent commitments by Germany and the Netherlands to provide a total of 10 billion euros (nearly 11 billion USD) in military aid to Kyiv next year.
However, the NATO leader acknowledged that "even with significant military support from NATO allies, the Ukrainians have not been able to move the front lines in the past year."
He continued: “And that just reflects the fact that we should never underestimate Russia. Their defense industry is on high alert, they can resupply their forces with new ammunition and capabilities… this makes it difficult to achieve the territorial gains we hoped for.”
According to RT, earlier at the same press conference, the NATO Secretary General rejected the view that the conflict was currently at a "stalemate," as stated by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Valery Zaluzhny, earlier this month. However, Stoltenberg said the situation on the front lines was "extremely difficult," with "intense fighting" and "high casualty figures."
According to the latest figures from the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed to break through Russia's complex network of fortifications, resulting in at least 103,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed between early June and mid-November. As reported last month by the French newspaper Le Monde, in exchange for these losses, Ukraine only regained 400 km of front.2 among more than 100,000 km2held by Russia.
According to recent media reports, despite Stoltenberg's assertion that "Putin is not winning this war," Western officials are increasingly convinced that Ukraine cannot hope to regain all of its former territory and will inevitably have to seek a peace agreement with Russia. However, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy continues to insist that he will not negotiate with the Kremlin.
