(Brussels) Russia is seeking to freeze fighting in Ukraine over the winter to build up its forces for a fresh assault in the spring, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.
“What we are seeing now is that Russia is trying to impose some kind of freeze on this war, at least for a short time, so that it can regroup, repair, recover and then try to launch a bigger big offensive next spring,” Mr. Stoltenberg said at a public event organized by the British daily Financial Times.
The Atlantic Alliance’s secretary general said NATO members were continuing their “unprecedented” supply of arms and support to Ukraine, despite concerns over a possible depletion of Western stockpiles.
“Adding new systems is just as important as ensuring that the systems or weapons we’ve already delivered are actually operational or working effectively,” Stoltenberg said.
“That means they need a significant amount of ammunition, spare parts and maintenance,” he said.
The front line in Ukraine has stabilized since Kyiv forces scored a resounding success in liberating the city of Kherson and surrounding areas on the western bank of the Dnieper River last month.
The heaviest fighting is currently concentrated around the eastern town of Bakhmout, which Russian forces have been trying to capture for months. The United States expects fighting to continue at a “reduced pace” in the coming months as both sides seek to rebuild their forces.
Mr Stoltenberg said he had ‘no further information’ on alleged Ukrainian drone attacks on airbases in Russia, after the Americans claimed they had ‘neither allowed nor encouraged’ such attacks by Kyiv.
The NATO chief currently believes that the conditions for a peaceful resolution of the conflict “are not met, because Russia has shown no sign of commitment to negotiations respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine “.