After several months in which the Ukrainian authorities have admitted that their counteroffensive was going slower than initially planned, Zelensky's troops are celebrating an eventual change in their strategy that began at the end of this week.. “Glory to Ukraine”, the Ukrainian president wrote on his Twitter account after the “liberation of Staromaiorske” (Donetsk municipality), in the southeast of the country. These advances have come as the African Union has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin for a ceasefire.
In this way, Ukraine recovers a municipality that allows to improve the tactical position of the troops, as explained by the retired Ukrainian colonel Serguí Grabski. These advances allow them to approach the second line of Russian defense in the southeast, which is difficult to access due to the land fortifications that protect it.
Despite the euphoria that this small progress could bring, Grabski has pointed out that “it is too early to celebrate it as a great success of the Ukrainian army.”. However, it “clearly shows that Ukrainian forces can advance in harsh conditions,” he added.
Despite Ukrainian progress, the Russian side has not spoken out. They have only affirmed that the following points of the Zelensky counteroffensive will take place in Bakhmut and Zaporizhia, as confirmed by the spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Igor Konashenkov.
Putin, pressured from Africa
In the midst of the advances of the Ukrainian troops, a new day of the summit between Russia and Africa held in Saint Petersburg took place this Friday. The longer it lasts, the more unpredictable it becomes. Putin has shown that he is willing to talk,” said the president of Comoros, Azali Assoumani, acting president of the African Union.. For his part, Putin did not close the door on this option either: “It is an acute issue and we are not avoiding its consideration.”
However, the Russian leader also urged African countries to talk with Ukraine, which, in his view, is closed to dialogue as long as the onslaught on the battlefield continues.. “It is necessary to talk to the other side as well, although we are grateful to our African friends for their attention to the issue.”
grain agreement
Other issues that have been put on the table have been the Black Sea grain agreement, of which Russia has recently ceased to be a part. In this regard, Putin has stressed that he “promised” to help Burkina Faso, Somalia, Mali, Zimbabwe, Eritrea and the Central African Republic with shipments of free grain.
The president of Egypt, Abdelfatah al Sisi, has urged “urgently” to find a solution to the problem of food supply for the “most needy” countries. Given this, António Guterres, Secretary General of the UN, has assured that this measure will only cause a notable increase in prices.
Finally, Russia concluded that it will continue to supply grain to Africa free of charge through bilateral contracts after almost doubling these exports in the first quarter of the year.