Amid Ukrainian claims of a successful counter-offensive in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, US President Joe Biden has said that "it is hard to tell" if the war is at a turning point.
However, Biden thinks the war is going to be a long haul. "The question is unanswerable. It’s hard to tell. It’s clear the Ukrainians have made significant progress. But I think it’s going to be a long haul," he was quoted by Reuters.
His statement comes as Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelensky claimed Ukraine has captured around 8,000 square km in Kharkiv. "About half that area had been made secure and stabilisation measures are still ongoing in the other half," he added.
Zelensky said the remnants of occupiers and sabotage groups are being detected and collaborators are being detained and full security is being restored.
Though Ukrainians are celebrating their success, the U.S. defence officials have maintained a muted stance as they believe Russia still has the troops and resources to strike back and the Kremlin still controls a large swath of the east and south.
Earlier, US secretary of state Antony Blinken too had mentioned that despite Ukraine making significant progress, it was too early to tell exactly where this is going. He acknowledged that Russia continued to pour resources into the war. "The Russians maintain very significant forces in Ukraine, as well as equipment and arms and munitions,” Blinken said. “They continue to use it indiscriminately against not just the Ukrainian armed forces but civilians and civilian infrastructure," he added.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of Ukraine has announced that it successfully repelled Russian attacks in the vicinity of Spirne, Maiorsk, Odradivka, Vesela Dolyna, Vodiane, Avdiivka, Bezimenne and Novohryhorivka.
A Facebook post by the Armed Forces Of Ukraine said Russia was violating humanitarian law and laws of war by attacking the homes of peaceful civilians and civilian infrastructure targets. The Ukrainian officials added that Russian occupying forces carried out a total of three missile strikes, 33 airstrikes and 58 attacks using rocket artillery, targeting military and civilian infrastructure across Ukraine.
Kyiv's troops have also claimed to have downed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter and struck three command posts and three areas where Russian military personnel and equipment were amassed.
"Ukrainian aircraft carried out nine airstrikes on Russian positions. Meanwhile, Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile units destroyed a Russian Su-24M bomber jet and a Mi-8 helicopter in the vicinity of Davydiv Brid, Kherson Oblast," a Facebook post by Operational Command Pivden (South) said.
It added that the Russian attempt to repair the Kakhovka bridge was disrupted and the pontoon crossing in Darivka was also damaged. According to Ukraine, they also killed 121 soldiers, five tanks and multiple arms and ammunition of the invading forces.
