BRUSSELS – Russia’s advance in the Kharkiv area is slowing, and the front line is stabilizing after some allies lifted restrictions on Kyiv’s use of donated weapons on Russian territory, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on June 13.
“What I see is a slowing of the Russians’ advance and a stabilizing of that particular piece of the front. Now, I think we’ll see incremental gains—and we’ll see puts and takes—going forward,” Austin told reporters on the sidelines of a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels.
“A couple of weeks ago, there was concern that we would see a significant breakthrough on the part of the Russians. I don’t think we’ll see that going forward.”
In late May, US President Joe Biden approved the use of American weapons to strike targets inside Russia that were being used to attack Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, located near the Russian border. Moscow condemned the decision as an escalation by the West.
On June 11, Kharkiv’s mayor told Reuters that Ukraine’s army had struck missile launch positions in Russia, reducing the number of attacks on the embattled city. While missile and drone strikes continue, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the change had brought relative “calm.”
“That is why maybe Kharkiv has… this period of… calm the last couple of weeks… that there were no great strikes as it was, for example, in May,” Terekhov said through a translator. Austin noted that Ukrainians are effectively using the donated weapons.
“The Ukrainians have done a lot to fortify their defensive positions and are making good use of the weapons and munitions that they’re being provided,” he told a news conference. “And more of that will continue to flow in. And so in my view, they’ll get stronger as time progresses.”
The situation indicates a potential shift in the dynamics of the conflict, with Ukrainian forces gaining some tactical advantages and stabilizing critical areas.