Kyiv, Ukraine
Reuters
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy denied on Saturday that the war with Russia had reached a “stalemate”, and said more work with allies was needed to strengthen air defences.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (not pictured), amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 4th November, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Thomas Peter
His comments came days after Ukraine’s Commander-in-chief, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, said in an article the conflict was moving towards a new stage of static and attritional fighting, a phase that could allow Moscow to rebuild its military power.
“Today time has passed and people are tired. But this is not a stalemate,” Zelenskiy said during a news conference with visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“Russia controls the skies. We care about our military.”
Zelenskiy acknowledged there had been difficulties in the war, now in its 21st month, and that Kyiv had yet to achieve any major successes in its counter-offensive.
But he said Ukrainian troops had no other alternative but to keep fighting and required more support from Western allies, especially with air defences.
Ukrainian forces have made slow progress through vast Russian minefields in a counter-offensive that began in the east and south in early June, but Russia has hit back hard in the east.
Russian troops were mounting numerous attacks near Avdiivka, Lyman and Mariinka in the eastern Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military said in its daily update.
Ukrainian forces were continuing their advance in the south-east towards the sea of Azov, the report added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attend a press conference, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 4th November, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Thomas Peter
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine had made “excellent progress” towards EU accession, days ahead of a key report on Kyiv’s membership bid.
Standing next to President Zelenskiy, she said Ukraine had reached many milestones despite the war with Russia, highlighting Kyiv’s judicial reforms.
“I must say you have made excellent progress,” she told a joint news conference in Kyiv.
“I know you are in the process of completing outstanding reforms. If this happens and, I am confident, Ukraine can reach its ambitious goal of moving to the next stage in the accession process.”
The EU assessment due on Wednesday is expected to say how far Ukraine has advanced in fulfilling various economic, legal, and other criteria to clear the way for accession talks in December.
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Ukraine, which applied to join the European Union days after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, sees membership as a top priority.
The Ukrainian Government has implemented all the steps required to ensure its readiness, Zelenskiy said, vowing to press on with reforms. He stressed efforts to fight corruption, improve transparency, and reduce the influence of oligarchs on the economy.
“This visit comes at a historical moment…when we are waiting on a political decision about Ukraine. This decision will have a pivotal impact not only for Ukraine but for entire Europe,” Zelenskiy said.
“Ukraine does not stop in transforming our institutions, reforms will continue.”
The EU’s 27 members are due at a summit in December to decide whether to allow Kyiv to begin accession negotiations, which would require unanimous backing.
Ukraine’s bid received a boost on Thursday when German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said she was confident the EU would advance Ukraine’s application next month.
Membership talks typically take years and involve extensive legal, political, and economic reforms. Ukraine’s case has been made much harder by the war.
Von der Leyen’s visit comes as Ukraine’s troops face battle fatigue and concerns swirl over the future of vital US military assistance.
The EU had already provided 83 billion euros for Ukraine and plans to send another 3 billion euros by the end of this year, she said.
Von der Leyen also said work on a proposal on pooling profits from frozen Russian state assets to help Ukraine with reconstruction was ongoing with a result expected before the end of the year.
