Brussels [Belgium], September 8: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that the Ukrainians were making slower progress than hoped in their counteroffensive against Russia, but were achieving gains of around 100 metres per day.
"The Ukrainians are gradually gaining ground and it proves the importance of our support and also our ability and willingness to continue the support," he told a committee meeting of the European Parliament in Brussels.
"This is heavy fighting, difficult fighting but they have been able to breach the defensive lines of the Russian forces. The Russian army used to be the second strongest in the world, and now the Russian army is the second strongest in Ukraine. That's quite impressive."
He also confirmed that Romanian authorities had informed NATO about debris from a possible drone that was found near the border with Ukraine. The former Norwegian premier said NATO does not have any information indicating an intentional attack by Russia.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive against the Russian invaders in the south and east has lasted months but a major breakthrough has not been seen despite Western arms deliveries.
European aid pledges to Ukraine now total $167bn, according to figures from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (Ifw) on Thursday, as nations offered more help and the United States defended its support.
Ukraine has been fighting a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022.
"It is remarkable how quickly Europe has moved to a permanent, multi-year support programme for Ukraine," said Christoph Trebesch, the Ifw team leader responsible for its Ukraine Support Tracker.
Source: Qatar Tribune