Ukraine's counter-offensive against Russia has been unsuccessful, according to Zelensky.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has admitted his country's counter-offensive against Russia in eastern Ukraine is not going as planned. Speaking in Kyiv, he conceded that they had not achieved "the desired results" and that they had been hoping for quicker results.

The situation has been further complicated by international pressure for Kyiv to enter peace talks with Russia, as well as the lack of support from allies, who have been questioning the cost of the high-tech weapons and equipment being used in the counter-offensive. This is further compounded by the fact that the battlefields have frozen, and the rearmed Russian troops are putting up stiff resistance.

The situation is exacerbated by the fact that international leaders have recently been focusing on the conflict between Hamas and Israel in the Middle East, and the UK has not announced an extension to its £2.3billion military aid package to Ukraine, which runs out in March.

Meanwhile, Russia has militarised its economy, leading to a sevenfold increase in tank production and a more than doubling of the production of artillery and armoured vehicles. This has enabled them to make significant advances into Ukrainian territory, and they are now poised to capture the strategically significant town of Avdiivka, which Ukraine has held since 2014.

Zelensky said: "We wanted faster results. From that perspective, unfortunately, we did not achieve the desired results. And this is a fact. There is not enough power to achieve the desired results faster." He went on to point out that the global society had switched its attention to the tragedy in the Middle East, and that they must not allow people to forget about the war in Ukraine.

He also highlighted that a reduction in support from the US would increase Russia's threat, saying: "If resilience fails due to lack of aid, it will mean Russia will most likely invade Nato countries and then the American children will fight."

It is clear that the Ukrainians had hoped to breach Russia's defences and advance all the way to the Sea of Azov when they launched their counter-offensive earlier this year, but this now appears out of reach. As a result, Zelensky is urging people to not forget about the war in Ukraine and to continue to pay attention to the conflict, as it could lead to the much-needed support for the country.

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