This is not a stalemate. Zelenskyy's team clarifies president's words about front
Photo: Serhii Nykyforov, Press Secretary of the President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, did not speak about a stalemate on the front in his interview with the Italian RAI. Commenting on the ground operations, specifically the counteroffensive in the south, he described it as stagnation, clarifies the President's Press Secretary, Serhii Nykyforov, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.
"In the interview with the President of Ukraine with the Italian RAI, there was no mention of a supposed 'stalemate' on the front. Speaking about the results of summer actions, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that their maritime part yielded positive results: Ukraine was able to restore an independent grain corridor, while the ground part of the operations ended in stagnation. This specifically refers to counteroffensive actions in the south," Nykyforov emphasizes.
He pointed out that this does not justify describing the overall situation on the front as a stalemate.
"Ukraine will continue to de-occupy its territories. In the future, we urge careful selection of words to avoid supporting destructive narratives," Nykyforov says.
He also provided the original response of the President of Ukraine in the RAI interview:
"I would say this: the maritime part of the operation had a positive effect - we squeezed out their ships, Russia lost many ships, and most importantly, it lost influence in the Black Sea, and we built an independent grain corridor not dependent on Russia. So, the pragmatic part of the operation, which influenced the economy and the budget of Ukraine, was carried out positively. As for the ground operations, you are right, there is stagnation. And this is a fact because something was lacking. Sometimes you think, 'this date, they will move forward.' I believe that in terms of the quantity of the corresponding ammunition, there were delays. And delays are miscalculations. But, honestly speaking, we are not just fighting a terrorist organization - we are fighting terrorists who are one of the largest armies in the world."
Background
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, gave an interview to the Italian Rai1 the day before. He commented on the frontline situation there. Regarding the "on-the-ground war," his words were interpreted as a "stalemate" that arose due to "delays in the equipment supply." At the same time, he emphasized that maritime operations yielded positive results.
Front 'stalemate'
In the fall, an article by the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, was published in The Economist, in which he mentioned that the situation on the front had reached an impasse (interpreted as a stalemate), and currently, neither side can advance since they are equally technologically equipped. The general noted that the war was entering a new stage - positional, characterized by exhausting battles. He suggested his option to exit the situation.
In particular, the general expressed the opinion that a powerful technological leap is needed to get out of the impasse. However, Volodymyr Zelenskyy sharply reacted to such a suggestion, stating in November that the situation is not a deadlock, and the advancement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is slow because Ukraine takes care of its military personnel.
