Cannonball melts the ice. The Russians are advancing. Abstract from Ukraine

• Advisers to President Joe Biden have said Russia could win the war in Ukraine within weeks if Congress does not approve additional military aid to Ukraine in the coming days. months
• – Some compromise must be very painful for both parties. What are Ukrainians waiting for? Will the Russians leave Crimea, Donbass and Luhansk? Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said it was untrue
• Russian troops have been gradually intensifying offensive operations in Ukraine for two weeks, taking advantage of the fact that frozen ground makes it easier for armored vehicles to get into the field, Britain's Ministry of Defense said on Sunday.
• Russians don't care about human casualties, and Vladimir Putin is ordering his soldiers back into the hellfire of war he has unleashed.
• You can find more stories like this on the Onet home page

There is no end to the war

The fighting in Ukraine will last at least two years, and Kiev may attempt another counteroffensive in 2025, CNN reported, citing sources among Western intelligence and military representatives.

Ukraine will spend 2024 strengthening its weapons base and rebuilding its forces, and Russia will use the same strategy – CNN writes, citing a representative of the US authorities.

There will be no major victories on the battlefield this year, CNN sources predict. “Both sides are greatly depleted in terms of troops and equipment for major operations in 2024.” – they point out. A military source said the Ukrainians consider 2025 as the best time to launch another attack.

This is the situation in Ukraine from the night of January 21-22, according to data from the Institute of War Studies.

Zelensky's adviser: This is not the time for negotiations

These reports seem to confirm the words of one of the Ukrainian politicians. – Ukraine can engage in negotiations with Russia only if the Russian Federation suffers a tactical defeat on the battlefield, the processes aimed at voluntarily abandoning nuclear weapons and changing the government in this country begin in Russia – Mykhailo Podolak, adviser to the President of Ukraine, said on Saturday.

President.gov.ua

Volodymyr Zelensky at the entrance to Avtivka in December 2023.

– Now what can we talk to them? When they don't suffer tactical, significant defeats on the battlefield? That we are willing to give them time to prepare for the next phase of war? – Podoluk said, as quoted by Ukrainska Pravda portal.

There is a shortage of soldiers and ammunition

It is not surprising that the Ukrainians are only thinking about a counteroffensive in 2025, because they are currently experiencing major problems on the front.

– There has been a crazy, huge ammunition shortage for months, Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko said in an interview with Bild daily website. – Ammunition is the number one problem when talking to soldiers on the front lines, he stressed.

Klitschko said he was “disappointed” by Bundestag's decision On Wednesday it ruled out the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. – Vitali Klitschko said that it is a “difficult time” for my country, which lacks enough soldiers in the front and ammunition.

Dire predictions from America and the islands

The morale of the Ukrainian soldiers was certainly not improved by the news from America. President Joe Biden's advisers told members of Congress in a private meeting that if Congress does not approve additional military aid to Ukraine in the coming days, Russia could win the war in weeks or at best months – NBC News reported Saturday.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haynes told members of Congress that Ukraine lacks some air defense and artillery capabilities in the coming weeks.

A source at the meeting told NBC that Sullivan and Hines provided top congressional leaders with classified information on when Ukraine's main military resources would be significantly depleted and a detailed assessment of current dynamics on the frontline.

There is also less optimistic news from Great Britain. “Russian troops have been gradually intensifying offensive operations in Ukraine for two weeks, taking advantage of the fact that frozen ground makes it easier for armored vehicles to get into the field,” the British Ministry of Defense said on Sunday. Russians don't care about human losses, and Vladimir Putin is ordering his people into the hellfire of war he has unleashed. According to the Ukrainian side, Putin's army may have lost 350,000 people since the beginning of the invasion. Soldiers (killed and incapacitated).