Under the fierce attack by the Russian military, Ukraine is currently in the process of withdrawing from certain front lines. President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, attributes this situation to the lack of weapons among Ukrainian soldiers. This may lead Ukraine to further request expedited weapon deliveries from various countries during next week’s NATO summit.
Zelenskyy, in an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday, July 4th, stated, “This is not a stalemate, but a problematic situation. If we have the tools and the will, the issue can be resolved.”
“We have the will to counterattack, but the tools are not in place. Our troops lack weapons. We have 14 brigades without proper weaponry,” Zelenskyy said.
He mentioned that these weapons have been approved through discussions and voting in the parliaments of Western allied countries but have not been delivered promptly to Ukrainian soldiers.
“Unfortunately, the weapons are arriving very slowly. Today, we need to protect all that we have. When we are ready, we will launch offensive actions. When the weapons arrive… but they have not arrived yet,” Zelenskyy added.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, also pointed out that the lack of well-trained and highly motivated troops is a key issue. However, Zelenskyy argued that the situation of the troops is “much better than three months ago.”
On Friday, July 5th, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking about the upcoming NATO Washington Summit, emphasized that support for Ukraine will be NATO’s “most pressing task.”
During a press conference before the summit, Stoltenberg stated, “I expect heads of state and government to agree on a substantial package on Ukraine.”
“NATO will take charge of coordinating and delivering most of the international security assistance,” he added. “This will not make NATO a party to the conflict, but it will enhance Ukraine’s self-defense capabilities.”
Stoltenberg mentioned that the allies will also agree on financial commitments to Ukraine, and he hopes to provide more direct military support to Ukraine, more bilateral security agreements, and work on deepening military interoperability.
Stoltenberg stated that all these elements “lay the groundwork for Ukraine’s eventual NATO membership.”
He also mentioned that at the summit, the allies will sign commitments to enhance transatlantic defense industrial cooperation to increase production. Additionally, NATO will establish a new Aegis Ashore base in Poland to further strengthen ballistic missile defense.
Global partnerships will be the third agenda item at the summit. The Secretary-General invited leaders from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea to attend the summit to deepen cooperation, including support for Ukraine, cyber and new technology cooperation. He stated, “As the alliance of autocrats tightens, our cooperation with friends in the Indo-Pacific region becomes increasingly important.”
Recently, the Russian military launched a new round of intense offensives on the frontlines.
Investigations from the unofficial Russia-Ukraine conflict frontline interactive map project, “DeepStateMap” (link), have revealed that Russian forces are advancing in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. Over the past two weeks, Russian forces successfully captured territory following a new offensive against the coal mining town of Toretsk.
Two days ago, in the strategic town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian forces were forced to withdraw to the other side of a canal.
Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Eastern Military Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, stated on state-run TV, “The enemy has entered the Canal area, defending here has become impractical.”
Voloshyn added, “Our defense positions have been destroyed. The command has decided to retreat to better protected and prepared positions.”
If Chasiv Yar is taken, Russian forces could launch attacks on another series of Ukrainian strongholds. Voloshyn stated that the town has not yet been taken by the Russian forces. He mentioned that Ukrainian forces have prepared defenses on the other side of the canal.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ General Staff stated on Friday that the Russian forces have been attacking Ukrainian positions with glide bombs, dropping a total of 111 glide bombs in the past day, in addition to over 4,000 artillery shelling.