While admitting Ukraine’s counteroffensive is “slow” — with neither side making substantial advances on the ground — Kyiv said Western partners remain committed to its success on the heels of the NATO summit this week.
Meanwhile, the deadline to renew the Black Sea grain deal is fast approaching, with Russia signaling its reluctance to join again. The deal, which is viewed as vital to global food security, is set to expire on Monday.
Here are the latest developments:
On the battlefield: Russia is “investing everything” to stop Ukrainian forces on the southern and eastern front lines, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. It’s difficult to measure which side currently holds the upper hand in the absence of significant territorial gains by either, according to one analyst.
A Ukrainian commander in the south, Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavsky, said that his troops were putting the pressure on Moscow’s forces and destroying equipment. In the east, a Ukrainian military spokesperson said Kyiv’s forces are storming the positions of Russian troops near Bakhmut. And a bit further north, Russia seems to be renewing firepower between the towns of Lyman and Kupyansk.
Patience will pay off, in Kyiv’s view: Senior Ukrainian officials and generals alike continue to describe tough fighting and limited progress as they look to drive Russian forces out of the country and turn the tide of the war.
Speaking to journalists Friday in Kyiv following his attendance at the NATO summit, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, admitted the counteroffensive — seen as being underway since the start of June — was “hard work.”
“It’s not going that fast; it is slow,” he said, adding that it is important Ukrainians are told the truth about developments on the ground.
Asked by CNN if Ukraine’s Western allies were looking for quick results, Yermak said there was no such pressure from partner countries.
Grain deal deadline looms: Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to let the Black Sea grain deal expire Monday if his demands are not met. According to the Kremlin, Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa talked by phone about the initiative on Saturday. Experts say prices would rise if the grain deal is not renewed.
South Korean president meets with Zelensky: South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Saturday for talks with his Ukrainian counterpart. Yoon visited the site of the massacre in Bucha near Kyiv and pledged to increase assistance to Ukraine to $150 million this year. South Korea has repeatedly maintained its stance not to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.
Wagner fighters in Belarus: Members of the private military group are in neighboring Belarus, according to Andrii Demchenko, a spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. On Friday, the Belarusian defense ministry announced that Wagner fighters are training Belarusian troops near the town of Osipovichi, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of the capital Minsk. After the group’s short-lived rebellion in Russia about three weeks ago, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko had asked fighters from Wagner to come to his country to train members of the Belarusian military.
Could Ukraine be getting ATACMS next?: Presidential aide Yermak told journalists in Kyiv he believed the Biden administration was “very close” to making a decision on approving the transfer of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to its arsenal of weapons. But Yermak stressed that a final decision had not yet been made.
Ukrainian leaders have had ATACMs close to the top of their wish list since the early months of the war. The US-manufactured guided missile has a range of up to 300 kilometers (about 186 miles).
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