Defensive stance leads to freezing of war, which we will never accept – Ukrainian President's Office Chief

Andrii Yermak, Head of the Ukrainian President's Office, has stated that the shift to a defensive stance often leads to the freezing of the conflict, whereas Ukraine will never agree to freeze the war with Russia.

Source: Yermak in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro, as the official reported on Telegram

Quote: "It is impossible to fight a defensive war. The transition to a defensive stance often results in the freezing of the conflict. We have seen this since 2014. We will never agree to a frozen conflict with Putin.

The solution is not to stop, but to be realistic, strong, to stand together with our partners and keep going."

Details: Yermak added that the situation at the front is "undoubtedly challenging, but the motivation of our people, and that of our soldiers, is extremely high".

"The troops at the front point to a lack of people and resources and say they can no longer advance.

This is definitely a problem, and concealing this makes no sense. Some soldiers need to rest. Many of them have been on the battlefield for two years. The government and the General Staff are developing a new law on mobilisation, which will soon be submitted to parliament, and [are working] on a realistic military strategy. The transition period is still ongoing," said Yermak.

The official also appealed to Ukraine's partners, asking them to "give us weapons, and we will do the job".

"We are relying on our partners and working to develop our defence industry. The Russians still hope to outnumber us in terms of resources. We have to rely on technological advantages. The front line stretches for more than 2,000 kilometres, most of which is the brutal fighting scene. We have to be realistic," said Yermak.

Background: On 15 January, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, indicated that the Ukrainian forces' objective was to retain their positions and exhaust the Russians.

The Financial Times reported that the Ukrainian army was switching to active defence, possibly because Russia may be preparing a new major offensive in the summer of 2024.

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