White House Says Ukraine’s Position Strengthened after Receiving U.S. Aid

Ukraine has managed to get out of a “deep hole” after months without US military assistance, the President’s National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, said. In his opinion, Kyiv has strengthened its positions, including in Kharkiv oblast. “They were getting out of that hole. We’ve seen them consolidate their positions in key places. We’ve seen them withstand the Russian offensive,” Mr. Sullivan said at the briefing (published on the White House YouTube channel). The USA is working on supplying Ukraine with air defense equipment, Mr. Sullivan has said. In his opinion, “the large-scale supply of weapons on the battlefield has changed the situation.” Russian troops have been conducting an offensive in Kharkiv oblast since May. Russian President Vladimir Putin explained this by Ukraine’s continuing strikes on Belgorod. Western powers have allowed Ukraine to strike the territory they recognize as Russian because of the situation on the battlefield. The head of the administration of the Russian-controlled part of Kharkiv oblast, Vitaliy Ganchev, admitted the slowdown in the advance of Russian troops in the north of Kharkiv oblast on the eve of 4 June.