Max Hunder and Pavel Polityuk

KYIV, Reuters – NATO chief said that Ukraine’s war could continue for many years. Russian forces are now facing intensified Russian attacks after an EU executive suggested Kyiv receive the EU candidate status.

Bild am Sonntag in Germany reported that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the supply of weaponry of the highest quality to Ukrainian troops would improve the chances of liberating eastern Donbas from Russian rule.

We must be prepared for the possibility that this could take several years. He said that we must continue to support Ukraine. “Even though costs may be high not just for military support but also rising fuel and food prices,” he said.

Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, visited Kyiv last Friday. He made similar remarks in an article for London’s Sunday Times about how long war preparations are necessary.

On Saturday, he spoke out to reporters and stressed that Ukraine must not become “Ukraine tired” as Russian forces continue to “grind forward inch-by inch”. Allies need to be there for Ukraine for long periods of time.

This meant that Ukraine would receive weapons, ammunition and training faster than an invader.

Johnson stated that “time is the crucial factor.” Everything will hinge on Ukraine’s ability to strengthen its defenses faster than Russia, Johnson said.

Ukraine got a boost Friday, when the European Commission suggested that Ukraine should be granted EU Candidat status. The European Union is expected to support this recommendation at its summit next week.

This would place Ukraine in a position to realize an aspiration that was seen as impossible before Russia’s February 24 invasion. However, actual membership may take many years.

INTERNSIFIED ATACKS

Russian forces intensified their attacks on Ukraine’s battlefields.

According to the Ukrainian military, Sievierodonetsk was a target of Moscow’s attack on the eastern region.

General staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces admitted that their forces suffered military setbacks in Metolkine near Sievierodonetsk.

It stated that the enemy had partial success in Metolkine as a result artillery fire, and an attack, in late Saturday’s Facebook post (NASDAQ:).

Serhiy Gaidai (the Ukrainian-appointed governor in Luhansk) referred to in an additional online posting “tough battles in Metolkine.”

Russia’s Tass news agency reported that many Ukrainian fighters surrendered to Russian-backed separatists.

A number of Russian missiles struck a Izium gasworks. To the north, Russian rockets hit another suburb of Kharkiv.

Ukrainian authorities reported that there was also shelling in Poltava (Dnipropetrovsk) and Saturday’s claim by Russian missiles that three Russians had destroyed a fuel storage site in Novomoskovsk. The incident left eleven people wounded, including one who is critically.

General staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that Russian troops who were on a reconnaissance trip near Krasnopillya suffered heavy losses on Saturday.

Reuters couldn’t independently verify the accounts from the battlefield.

ZELENSKIY DFIANCE

Volodymyr Zeleskiy, the Ukrainian President, posted on Telegram Saturday that he had visited troops on the Mykolaiv front line. This is approximately 550 km (340 mi) south of Kyiv.

Our brave men and woman. “Everyone of them are working hard,” he stated. “We’ll hold our ground! “We will win!”

Zelenskiy was captured in his trademarkkhaki shirt, handing out medals as well as taking photos with soldiers.

According to Zelenskiy’s office, he also visited National Guard posts in Odesa (to the west of Mykolaiv). His office and Zelenskiy did not provide any information about the dates of his trips. He also didn’t give his nighttime address on Saturday.

Zelenskiy remained mostly in Kyiv after Russia invaded Ukraine. But, in recent weeks, he visited Kharkiv as well as two other eastern cities that are close to the frontlines of battles.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that his goal when he sent troops into Ukraine was stop eastward expansion by NATO and to keep Moscow’s south-eastern neighbour out of the West’s orbit of influence.

The war has resulted in the destruction of cities and millions fleeing. However, it has also had the opposite effect: Finland and Sweden have joined NATO, and this has helped pave the road for Ukraine’s EU membership.