NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Russian forces are unable to make a "serious breakthrough" on the battlefield in Ukraine and that Kiev is inflicting heavy losses on the occupiers with its strikes deep into the Russian Federation and the conquered territories.
"They have tried to launch an offensive again this spring and summer, but so far they have had only marginal success," Stoltenberg said on Thursday, referring to Moscow's uncertain offensive in the Kharkiv region, The Telegraph reported.
He said that NATO allies have "no other indication or reason to believe that Russia has the ability and strength to make a major breakthrough".
However, Russia is likely to "continue to advance" and to carry out airstrikes.
"But we saw that the Ukrainians were able to hold their defense," he said.
At the same time, Stoltenberg noted that the Armed Forces are capable not only of holding the front, but also of inflicting great damage on the aggressor, both in defensive battles and by striking targets deep inside the Russian Federation.< /p>