Replacement of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is further evidence that Russia's President Vladimir Putin "desperately trying to maintain" its invasion of Ukraine, said the deputy spokesman of the US State Department Vedant Patel, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Putin surprisingly appointed Andrey Belousov, a civilian and an economist by education, as his new defense minister yesterday in an attempt to prepare Russia for economic war, the agency noted.
Belousov should try to make better use of the defense budget and introduce more innovations to win in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Germany and the northern countries confirmed their commitment to increase arms support for Ukraine at the talks that ended yesterday in the Swedish capital Stockholm, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The meeting, which was hosted by the Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Christershon, was attended by the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, together with the Prime Ministers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway.
"We are united in our support for Ukraine in its defense against ongoing Russian aggression. We will continue to provide assistance to Ukraine for as long as it is necessary," Scholz said.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo noted that the situation on the battlefield is critical, stressing the need for quick action by the West to prevent a situation like the one in Mariupol in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
The port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine was destroyed and captured by Russian forces in 2022 in the early months of the war.
A few days ago, Russian troops launched an offensive in the area around the city of Kharkiv and are putting enormous pressure on the Ukrainian armed forces there. Earlier yesterday, the Ukrainian military admitted that Russian forces were making progress in their offensive in the northeastern part of the Kharkiv region.
Despite the discussions at the meeting in Stockholm, no concrete new commitments were announced, such as the sending of Patriot missile systems, DPA notes.