Ukraine conflict frontlines ‘deadlocked’ – German defense minister
Both Russia and Ukraine now find themselves unable to make any progress on the battlefield, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told the tabloid Bild on Thursday.
Pistorius has insisted on boosting his country's weapons production and called on other European countries to do more as well. The Ukrainian government has consistently criticized its foreign backers for not supplying its forces with enough military hardware and munitions, arguing that the lack of weapons was the primary reason for its difficulties on the battlefield.
Germany is already “reaching its limits” regarding military aid for Ukraine and that its production capabilities are not keeping up with demand, the minister said.
However, he argued that the frontline situation was not as bad for Kiev as has been reported, telling Bild that “in fact, the situation is deadlocked. There are no gains in territory on either side.”
President Vladimir Putin recently declared that Russian forces currently have the initiative. He described Kiev’s counteroffensive as a “complete failure,” achieving no notable territorial gains while costing a tremendous amount of personnel and equipment.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian forces lost some 215,000 troops and 28,000 pieces of military hardware last year, while nearly 400,000 Ukrainian personnel have been killed or wounded since February 2022.
Ukraine has admitted that its counteroffensive failed to produce the hoped for results. President Zelensky stated last month that he considered the fact his troops were not retreating as an achievement in itself.
Meanwhile, Kiev has continued to criticize the West for failing to supply and produce enough munitions for its forces. Zelensky has also stated that the current rate of weapons production throughout the whole world is not enough to sustain the fight against Russia.
After sustaining heavy losses throughout the conflict, Kiev has also been struggling with personnel, with the Ukrainian president stating last month that the army was looking at ways to obtain an additional 500,000 new recruits.
