Ukraine’s President put pressure on the West to step up in delivering weapons systems to troops as Kyiv moves to consolidate control over a large swath of northeastern territory seized back from Russia. The UK has been supplying Ukraine with supplies throughout Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the ex-Soviet state.
Following a new boost in August, the total package of military support given to Ukraine has reached £2.3billion.
However, in a video address late on Monday, Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine and the West must “strengthen cooperation to defeat Russian terror”.
The call comes as Russia appears to be falling back in parts of Ukraine.
According to Reuters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday side-stepped a reporter’s question of whether Putin still had confidence in the military leadership.
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He said: “The special military operation continues.
“And it will continue until the goals that were originally set are achieved.”
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) also issued an intelligence update yesterday which indicated Ukraine is continuing to make ground against Putin’s troops.
The MoD said: “In the face of Ukrainian advances, Russia has likely ordered the withdrawal of its troops from the entirety of occupied Kharkiv Oblast west of the Oskil River.
“The majority of the force in Ukraine is highly likely being forced to prioritise emergency defensive actions.
“The already limited trust deployed troops have in Russia’s senior military leadership is likely to deteriorate further.”