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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, Counteroffensive against Russian troops is ongoing, while refusing to give details of his troops’ movements.
“Ukraine is conducting counter-offensive and defensive operations: at which stage I will not go into detail,” Zelensky said on Saturday, making comments after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Kiev’s operation had failed.
Russia reported thwarting Ukrainian attacks in the east and south.
“It’s interesting what Putin said about our counteroffensive,” Zelensky said. “It’s important that Russia always have the feeling that, in my opinion, their time to go is running out.”
He added that he was in daily contact with military commanders, including Chief of Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny, “everyone is very positive right now – tell Putin!”
On Saturday, Kiev forces conducted counteroffensive operations in at least four frontline areas, according to the Washington-based Institute for War Studies (ISW).
“Russian sources claim that Ukrainian forces have a tactical advantage when conducting attacks at night due to equipment provided by the West with superior night optics,” ISW said.
To shore up the stockpile, Zelensky secured a new pledge of military aid when he met with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the weekend.
– ‘Accountability’ –
Trudeau, 51, and Zelensky, 45, hugged and called each other by first name in the Canadian leader’s second unannounced visit to Kiev since all-out war broke out last February .
Canada, which has a large Ukrainian diaspora, has been one of Kiev’s key allies since the Russian invasion.
It has provided massive military aid to Ukraine, trained more than 36,000 soldiers, and imposed sanctions on Moscow.
On Saturday, the Canadian leader said he would provide Kiev with C$500 million ($375 million) in new military aid and pledged Canada’s participation in a multinational effort to train Ukrainian fighter pilots.
Trudeau also urged international organizations to provide aid to people in the Russian-occupied territory after floodwaters from the Kakhovka Dam breach forced thousands to flee their homes and raised fears of humanitarian and environmental catastrophe.
Ukraine blamed Russia for blowing up the dam on Tuesday, while Moscow said Kiev opened fire on the dam.
Asked why he didn’t blame Russia for the dam collapse, Trudeau said: “I know there are investigators and there are a lot of questions and intelligence being analyzed to understand what happened to this dam collapse.
“But there is no doubt that the dam would still be standing today without the Russian invasion last February.”
Trudeau pledged C$10 million in flood relief and said Russia “will be held accountable” for its actions in Ukraine.
Earlier in the day, Trudeau placed flowers on a wall of memory displaying photos of fallen soldiers.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Oleksandr Polishchuk handed Trudeau a box he said contained fragments of rockets that fell in the Black Sea port city of Odessa.
He said the gift was meant to remind Trudeau of Ukraine’s suffering as a result of the Russian attack.
– Iran must ‘stop supporting’ Russia –
Three people were killed when debris from a downed Russian drone sparked a fire in the Odessa region early Saturday.
French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Iranian President Ibrahim Raisy to “immediately stop” Tehran’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which involved supplying Moscow with attack drones, the Elysee Palace said.
In the call, Macron stressed the serious “security and humanitarian consequences” of the Iranian drone delivery, “and urged Tehran to immediately stop supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” a statement said.
The call came a day after White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Russia was receiving materials from Iran to build a drone factory “likely to be fully operational early next year.”
The United States has said Russia has received hundreds of Iranian attack drones to attack Kiev and “intimidate” Ukrainians, an allegation Tehran denies.
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