Ukraine’s commander-in-chief has conceded that there have been few gains in Ukraine’s five-month long counteroffensive to retake Russian-occupied territory.
Likening the current state of conflict to World War I, in which battles were often fought over a few miles of territory at the expense of huge numbers of men, Ukraine’s General Valery Zaluzhny said the war had reached an impasse.
“There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough,” he told The Economist magazine in an interview published Thursday.
Ukraine has repeatedly said it needs longer-range weapons, more air defenses and its own airpower to be able to fight Russia effectively. While its allies have donated massive amounts of equipment, decisions over further tranches of weaponry, such as tanks, have been tortuous affairs and supplies slow to materialize.
Image source: Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty Images
