Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Friday that Western arms deliveries were not helping Kiev make progress in its counteroffensive launched in early June, as he judged that it had yielded “no results” so far.
“Today, it is evident that the Western sponsors of the Kiev regime are clearly disappointed with the results of the so-called counteroffensive loudly proclaimed by the Ukrainian authorities in recent months,” Vladimir Putin said during a televised meeting of his Security Council. “No results, at least for now. The colossal resources that have been ‘injected’ into the Kiev regime are not helping, and neither are the Western arms deliveries of tanks, artillery, and missiles,” he added.
“The whole world can see that the highly praised and supposedly invulnerable Western equipment is burning, and in tactical and technical terms, it is even inferior to some Soviet-made weaponry,” the Russian president further affirmed. The Ukrainian army’s counteroffensive, launched in early June, is facing Russian troops entrenched behind strong defensive lines. According to leaders in Kiev, it is progressing at a slower pace than expected, with only about 200 square kilometers recaptured.
Vladimir Putin believed that Russian forces were fighting in a “professional” and “heroic” manner, claiming that the Ukrainian troops had suffered “enormous losses” and their “mobilization capacity” was running out. He also launched a violent diatribe against the Polish authorities, as Warsaw recently increased its military presence on its borders with Belarus following the arrival of Wagner paramilitary group fighters in the country.
“The initiation of aggression against Belarus will be equivalent to aggression against the Russian Federation. We will respond with all the means at our disposal,” warned President Vladimir Putin.
