US says Russia’s advance on Kharkiv is ‘almost over’

The White House said Friday that Russia’s offensive in Ukraine’s northeast Kharkiv region has stalled and is unlikely to advance further.

John Kirby, White House national security spokesman, said the arrival of U.S. weapons helped change the trajectory of the battle around Kharkiv, where Russian forces mounted a major attack in mid-May.

“They managed to stop the Russian advances, especially around Kharkiv,” Kirby said. “The Russians really got stuck up there [and …] their advance on Kharkiv is practically over because they collided with the first line of defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and basically stopped, if not retreated, some units.”

He added that Ukraine was still under pressure and took nothing for granted, but “it appears they have stagnated,” none of which was shared between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Biden when the two met on Friday in France. will mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

At that meeting, Biden apologized for the months-long delay in new U.S. military aid to Ukraine, which Washington and Kiev say led to Russian advances on the battlefield, including in Kharkiv and the eastern region of Donetsk.

In his Thursday speech marking D-Day, Biden argued that it was vital to once again defend democracy and freedom, as the Allies did in World War II, comparing the fight against Nazi Germany to Russia’s ongoing attack. against Ukraine.

Russia’s offensive in Kharkiv came as Ukraine was just beginning to receive new military aid from the US, with Moscow trying to exploit the delay of more weapons and defenses and seize more ground before the assistance arrived in full force.

The renewed push has raised fears that Ukraine would be overwhelmed as it also defends itself against Russian forces advancing in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Russia made some gains in Kharkiv when the offensive was launched, capturing towns and advancing towards the city of Kharkiv, but forces are still involved in fighting north of the city, including major battles around the city of Vovchansk.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story