According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian forces are holding back Russia’s summer attempts to break through defences along parts of the front line.
“They are not advancing. It’s very tough for our guys out there. And it’s tough everywhere,” Zelenskyy told reporters.
“It’s also very hard for the Russians — and that’s good for us," he added.
With the war now in its fourth year after Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of its neighbour, the effort is draining resources on both sides, although Russia has more resources and people to sustain its fight.
Ukraine, meanwhile, is seeking further support from Western partners.
Russia has claimed the capture of some villages and hamlets in recent weeks, but no defensively stronger urban areas have fallen to its troops.
Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups have repeatedly attempted to stage minor incursions near Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region to film symbolic footage, such as raising a Russian flag, but Ukrainian forces have repelled those efforts, Zelenskyy said.
“It happened five to seven times recently, sometimes with only two or six people. Once they tried to hold a position with 12 people — and all of them were eliminated by our defenders,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy described the situation in the northeastern Sumy border region as “much better” than in recent months, noting progress by Ukrainian forces over the past six weeks.
Ukraine seeking Patriot missile systems
Russia has also intensified its bombardment of Ukrainian cities, with the second-largest city Kharkiv struck with a powerful glide bomb for a second straight day Friday. Seven people were injured, officials said. On Thursday, 42 were injured.
Joyce Msuya, the United Nations’ deputy humanitarian chief, told the Security Council on Friday that Ukraine’s humanitarian situation is “deteriorating” due to expanding Russian attacks on civilian areas across the country.
“There is no safe place left in Ukraine,” she said.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is working with international partners to secure 10 US-made Patriot air defence systems, which can shoot down missiles, with three already confirmed from Germany and Norway.
The Trump administration will sell the systems, he said, but Ukraine’s task is to find funding for all 10.
Ukraine is also seeking to obtain a license to manufacture the Patriot systems itself.
No summit meeting in sight, says Moscow
The Ukrainian leader expressed little hope for progress in direct talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine, though he said the Kremlin envoys have begun discussing the possibility of a leaders’ summit with Ukraine.
“We need an end to the war, which probably begins with a meeting of leaders. It won’t work any other way with (the Russians),” Zelenskyy said.
The Kremlin, however, remained set against top-level talks before a potential comprehensive peace agreement is fleshed out.
“A high-level meeting can and must put a final point in the settlement and seal the modalities and agreements that are yet to be worked out by experts,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday. “It’s impossible to act otherwise.”
