Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed in a televised speech on Saturday that the Russian army was unable to achieve its goals from the ongoing offensive and lost 10,000 soldiers, most of them young men.
He stressed that Ukrainian forces are controlling all directions and are fighting the Russian troops in Kharkiv.
Zelensky stated that Russian forces entered some sites but said that this situation would not last long, and that he was confident that he would ask citizens to return to their country soon.
He also announced that decisions have been made by European countries to support Ukraine with dozens of billions of dollars in order to reconstruct the country.
Furthermore, Zelensky pointed out that the Ukrainian team negotiating with the Russians in Belarus discussed the first step, which is to return life to normal. He also stated that he has been in contact with the French and Polish presidents.
At the same time, the Ukrainian army announced that Russian forces have begun to impose a cordon around the capital, Kyiv, and the city of Kharkiv — the second largest city in the country — to besiege them, and the mayor of Mariupol confirmed that his city — which lies on the Sea of Azov in southern Ukraine — is also being besieged by Russian forces.
Moreover, Ukrainian Minister of Defence Oleksiy Reznikov said that Russian forces are advancing in some directions, but they control only a small area, and Ukrainian forces are confronting them.
Reznikov added that the Russian army is using its air and missile capabilities in an unprecedented way, explaining that the Russians are currently working to encircle Kyiv.
He stressed that the Ukrainian government is working to implement a ceasefire and open humanitarian corridors to help citizens.
The Ukrainian government also announced that military reinforcements from allied countries will be distributed to the fronts, while Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyal accused the Russian army of bombing hospitals and schools.
On the other side, the Russian Ministry of Defence accused the Ukrainian authorities of rejecting proposals to open humanitarian corridors in Kharkiv and Sumy.
Russia also said that it destroyed 2,037 Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities since the start of the offensive, with the ministry adding that its forces destroyed a weapons depot in Zhytomyr that included anti-tank missile systems and javelin missiles.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin warned against expanding western sanctions, saying that any ban on the export of Russian oil to the US could lead to instability in energy markets and serious consequences.
It also announced that channels of dialogue between Moscow and Washington have been preserved and stressed that it was not possible to talk about isolating Russia because “the United States and Europe are not the whole world.”
