Ukraine admitted on Sunday to be in a defensive position on the eastern front against Russian forces, Vladimir Putin assuring for his part that the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian army, launched in June, had not won ” hit “.
These statements come as the agreement on Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea expires on Monday evening.
From kyiv, Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Malyar acknowledged that the Ukrainian army was “in a defensive position” in the east of the country. “For two days in a row, the enemy actively attacked in the Kupyansk sector of the Kharkiv region,” she said on Sunday. “Fierce fighting is taking place, and positions […] change several times a day.
kyiv admitted to fighting difficult battles and called on its allies to provide more weapons and long-range artillery.
But the deputy minister argued that Ukrainian forces were “gradually advancing” near Bakhmout, a city of 70,000 inhabitants before the conflict, which fell under Russian control in May after extremely deadly clashes, which began in the summer of 2022.
“In Bakhmout itself, we are bombarding the enemy, and the enemy is bombarding us,” said Mr.me Malyar.
“The situation has intensified somewhat in the East,” she nevertheless underlined.
For his part, Vladimir Putin considered that the Ukrainian army’s counter-offensive had not been “successful”.
“All attempts by the enemy to break through our defense […], especially by using strategic reserves, were not successful during the entire period of the offensive. The enemy did not achieve success,” Putin said.
Speaking in an interview with the Rossia-1 television channel, broadcast on Sunday, he judged that the situation was “positive” for the Russian forces on the front.
“Our troops are performing heroically. Unexpectedly for the adversary, they even go on the offensive in certain sectors and capture more advantageous positions,” he said.
Led since June with the support of heavy weapons delivered by the West, the Ukrainian counter-offensive is progressing slowly against Russian troops who have time to establish solid defenses, including formidable minefields, and still have significant firepower to pound the Ukrainian forces.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian General Staff said that offensive operations in the direction of Melitopol and Berdyansk, two towns occupied by Russia in southern Ukraine, were continuing.
Russia announced for its part on Sunday that it had neutralized at least ten Ukrainian drones, launched in annexed Crimea near Sevastopol, headquarters of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea regularly targeted by this type of attack.
Grain deal expires on Monday
As Ukraine’s grain deal expires on Monday, Vladimir Putin has yet to say whether Russia will renew it.
The Russian president said on Saturday that the main objective of the agreement had not been achieved, during a telephone interview with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa.
“Vladimir Putin stressed that the obligations set out in the Russia-UN memorandum on the removal of obstacles for the export of Russian food products and fertilizers are still not fulfilled,” the Kremlin said.
“The main objective of the agreement, the delivery of grain to countries in need, especially on the African continent, is not achieved,” said the Russian presidency in a statement reporting this conversation between MM. Putin and Ramaphosa.
On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, mediator between kyiv and Moscow, assured that Mr. Putin was “agree” to extend this vital agreement on Ukrainian cereals. But the Kremlin has denied making any statement about it.
Signed in July 2022 in Istanbul and already renewed twice, the agreement expires Monday evening at midnight in Istanbul. Over the past year, it has enabled nearly 33 million tonnes of cereals to be taken out of Ukrainian ports despite the conflict.