The war in Ukraine is entering protracted phase — MoD chief Reznikov

Russia has already suffered a strategic defeat in Ukraine after a full-scale invasion on February 24, failing to destroy the Ukrainian state and appoint its puppets. And now the war is entering a new protracted phase, said the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov in a Facebook post.

According to him, in order to win this phase of the war, it is necessary to carefully plan resources, avoid mistakes, and pace Ukraine's strength so that the enemy does not last to the end.

The official stressed that although the Allies have already begun to provide heavy weapons, Ukraine is facing extremely difficult weeks.

"During this period, we will defend ourselves single-handedly against an enraged aggressor," Reznikov wrote.

According to him, more than 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers are already studying or will start mastering the partners' equipment in the coming days, and then return as instructors. Some, like gunners, will immediately go into battle.

"Time will pass before heavy foreign weapons even out the forces and turn in Ukraine's favor. Now their availability is scarce, it must be understood,"  said the defense minister.

Meeting at Ramstein

On April 26, representatives of the defense ministries of more than 40 countries: the EU, NATO, Africa, the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, and the Asia-Pacific region met at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. The event was organized by the United States.

Subsequently, an advisory group on Ukraine's defense was established, which will operate on a permanent basis and meet once a month. This will optimize and speed up important processes for obtaining weapons, improve logistics, and ensure optimal coordination.

The meeting also adopted a strategic decision on the transition of the Ukrainian army to NATO calibers and equipment.

It was also agreed at the meeting that the training programs will be scaled and extended even to those models of weapons and equipment for which there are no political decisions yet.