‘No one ever said it was going to be easy’ – Stoltenberg reacts to criticism of Ukraine’s counteroffensive at FAC session in Brussels

« NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during the Foreign Affairs Committee session in Brussels, on Thursday, claimed it was clear to the public opinion the Ukraine’s counteroffensive would be ‘bloody, difficult, and hard’.
« I think we all need to remember that no one ever said that this was going to be easy, the offensive. It was clearly stated that this was going to be a bloody, difficult, and hard offensive, » Stoltenberg said.
NATO Secretary General also claimed Ukraine is ‘making progress’ adding « they are gaining ground gradually, some hundreds meters per day. Meaning that when the Ukrainians are gaining ground, the Russians are losing ground. »
His remarks came after Member of the European Parliament Clare Daly accused Stoltenberg’s of false rhetoric about Kiev’s gains in the battleground and mentioned reports claiming the Ukraine has been using conscription to add members to its military force, including men with disabilities and mental illness.
« Since you were here the last time, Ukraine has lost territory, half of million men are dead, » she said. « I know you have spent a lot of time in NATO talking about the expansion of Sweden and Finland, but you were considerably quiet about the bitter disappointment experienced by Ukraine in Vilnius. »
Javier Nart, another Member of the European Parliament, also asked Stoltenberg about NATO’s development policy in the upcoming months of October and November adding he doesn’t see any vital development in the Russian leadership that can lead authorities to think that the Ukrainian army can be more effective in its counteroffensive.
Several Western officials have reportedly criticised the pace of the Ukrainian military action and blamed its limited progress on the fact that the military troops are spread in the wrong places. »



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