NATO does not believe Russia can make strategic breakthrough in Kharkiv Oblast
Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Commander of NATO's Allied Forces Europe, and Rob Bauer, Chairman of the Alliance's Military Committee, believe that the Russians will not have enough strength to make a strategic breakthrough in the north of Kharkiv Oblast.
Source: European Pravda, citing their words at a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council
Details: Cavoli stated that the Russians "don't have the numbers (of forces and means — ed.) necessary to do a strategic breakthrough".
Quote: "More to the point, they don't have the skill and capability to do it, to operate at the scale necessary to exploit any breakthrough to strategic advantage. They do have the ability to make local advances and they have done some of that," he added.
Details: The head of NATO's Allied Command Europe added that he is in close contact with his Ukrainian counterparts and is "confident that they will hold the line".
For his part, the head of the Alliance's Military Committee stressed that the situation on the battlefield with Russia's offensive in Kharkiv Oblast "has not changed to the point where Ukraine’s authorities are willing to sit down and start negotiating".
Quote: "Ukrainian forces have regained 50% of the territory that Russia took at the beginning of the war. So they're not chipping away on that of the Russian forces, but it’s not a strategic advance, it’s not a strategic success," Bauer stated.
Background:
- UK Defence Intelligence believes it is unlikely that Russia has built up sufficient combat power to capture Kharkiv without bringing additional forces to the oblast.
- The US has announced an additional military aid package amid the Russian offensive in northern Kharkiv Oblast.
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