NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday described the battlefield situation in Ukraine as "extremely difficult" for Kiev, as its much-touted summer counteroffensive failed to yield the expected results and Russian troops continue pushing on many front lines.
"The situation on the battlefield is extremely difficult, the Russians are now pushing on many frontlines and of course the big offensive that the Ukrainians launched last summer did not give the results we all hoped for," Stoltenberg said during the Securing an Insecure World session at the World Economic Forum 2024 in Davos.
The NATO chief added that Russia was "pushing hard" in Ukraine and should "never" be underestimated.
On June 4, 2023, the Ukrainian counteroffensive was initiated. Kiev deployed brigades that underwent training from NATO instructors and were equipped with Western weapons, including Leopard and Challenger tanks. Following three months of fighting, Putin declared that Ukraine's attempt had been unsuccessful, resulting in significant casualties for the Ukrainian side.
Several Western officials also admitted that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had not been successful so far. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny later described the situation on the battlefield as a "stalemate."