UK, French defense ministers in Ukraine for aid talks
3 Min Read
UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps says he was in Kiev to "ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky what he needs to win."
-
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Britain's Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps attending a meeting in Kiev, on September 28, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service)
The British and French defense ministers arrived in Kiev on Thursday to discuss more military aid for Ukraine amid its failing counteroffensive.
Their trips occurred ahead of the inaugural Defence Industries Forum in Kiev, where Ukrainian authorities were scheduled to meet with representatives from over 160 defense corporations and 26 nations.
UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps stated that he was in Kiev to "ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky what he needs to win."
On his part, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu expressed that they were aware the war "is going to last," adding that France must be "reliable" in its aid to Ukraine.
Read more: Ukraine became a testing field of weapons for arm manufacturers: WSJ
Both Britain and France have given Ukraine long-range cruise missiles, and Kiev has asked for supplementary Western weapons.
Ukraine's long-discussed counteroffensive is nearing its end without any significant progress, BBC concluded in a field report conducted at the east front lines in Ukraine.
"The BBC has secured rare access to the 24th Mechanised Brigade, who have been fighting in the east," said the British broadcaster on Wednesday.
In a bid to regain lost ground, Ukraine launched a much-anticipated counteroffensive in early June. The operation fell short of meeting its objective, as per US officials, while major media outlets went as far as calling it a failure.
Despite the massive military support to Ukraine, media outlets on Kiev's side confirmed earlier that the West and NATO failed to "outgun Russia", which continues to repel Ukrainian attacks, as well as destroy and capture their foreign-provided hardware.
Read more: CIA informs Blinken of Ukraine counteroffensive failure: Hersh
During a visit to Ukraine on Thursday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg claimed that "every meter that Ukrainian forces regain is a meter that Russia loses."
Not a movie
The goal of the counteroffensive was to regain captured areas and cut Russia's access to Crimea via land, and despite the billions of dollars put toward Kiev, the minimal territorial gain has been achieved.
Last week, Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, who is leading the operation in the south, told CNN that Kiev's troops managed to make some breakthroughs in Russian defense lines.
However, the field general acknowledged that the progress had not been as swift as hoped, cautioning against unrealistic expectations akin to portrayals in "Second World War movies."
