Location better than last
Zelenskyj: Russian advance “stopped” for now
March 12, 2024, 2:11 a.m
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After the recent defeats on the front, Ukrainian President Zelensky now has reason to be confident again. Ukraine’s strategic position is now much better and the Russians are making no further progress in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine says it has managed to stop the Russian army’s advance in the country. “Our command, our military has stopped the Russian advance in eastern Ukraine,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with the French television station BMF TV and the daily newspaper “Le Monde”. The opposing army is currently losing a large number of soldiers. They worked “very efficiently” against the Russian air forces and shot down a large number of enemy aircraft.
“I can give you this fresh information: the situation is much better than in the last three months,” Zelensky assured. His country is also building “more than 1,000 kilometers” of fortifications. This is a “complex task”. “Three defense lines” have already been built in the east, south and north of the country. The head of state also admitted that his army had had difficulties “due to the lack of artillery ammunition, the air blockade, Russian long-range weapons and the high density of Russian drones.” He also warned of new difficulties if Ukraine does not receive sufficient military support.
Ukraine has come under increasing pressure in the war against Russia in recent months. The Ukrainian soldiers on the front are running out of ammunition – partly because of the delay in further military aid from the USA. Russia, on the other hand, was recently able to bring new areas under its control, including the hotly contested city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region. Heavy fighting continues in the region.
With a view to the discussion initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron about Western ground troops in Ukraine, Zelensky said in the interview: “As long as Ukraine holds its own, the French army can stay on French soil.” Macron caused an international outcry at a Ukraine conference in Paris when he declared that sending Western ground troops to Ukraine could not be ruled out. This was met with strong rejection by most allies, including Germany, as well as at home. The French government later explained that it was not about combat units, but about training and demining.