Oleg Davygora23:21, 03/29/24

If the front remains stable, Zelensky said, Ukraine could arm and train new brigades to launch a new counteroffensive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that hard-pressed Ukrainian forces may have to retreat to secure their front lines and conserve ammunition. This will happen if the United States does not provide the necessary military assistance to Ukraine.

In an interview with The Washington Post, he noted that Congress’s delay in approving a $60 billion military aid package had cost Ukraine dearly. The military failed to plan for future operations, and lawmakers squabbled for nearly six months.

“If there is no US support, it means we have no air defense, no Patriot missiles, no electronic warfare jamming, no 155mm artillery rounds. This means we will retreat step by step,” he said .

To describe the military situation, Zelensky took a piece of paper and drew a simple diagram of the war zone.

“If you need 8,000 rounds a day to protect the front line, and you only have, for example, 2,000, you’ll have to fire less,” he explained. “How? Of course, to return. Make the front line shorter. If it breaks, the Russians can go to the big cities.”

Zelensky said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to find some way not to retreat. After Russia captured Avdeevka in February, he said, “we stabilized the situation thanks to the smart steps of our military.” If the front remains stable, he said, Ukraine will be able to arm and train new brigades in the rear for a new counteroffensive later this year.

“If you don’t take steps forward to prepare a new counter-offensive, Russia will take them. That’s what we’ve learned in this war: if you don’t do it, Russia will,” he added.

(C)UNIAN 2024