By KYIV. Jan 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny discussed with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Mark Milley changes in the operational-strategic situation, primarily in the ground and airspace of Ukraine, as well as the needs of the Defense Forces.
"Today I had my first phone conversation in the new year with General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States. He spoke about changes in the operational-strategic situation, primarily in the ground and airspaces of Ukraine. Heavy fighting is going on at Svatove-Kreminna line, as well as in the direction of Lysychansk. The most difficult situation remains on the Soledar-Bakhmut-Mayorsk site. There, the enemy is actually trying to move forward over his corpses, but units of the Defense Forces, at the cost of super efforts, are holding back the hostile offensive," Zaluzhny said on his Telegram channel.
He also said in Donetsk direction, Ukrainian forces managed to hold positions around Avdiyivka and prolong counter-offensive operations.
"We reliably hold defensive lines in Zaporizhia direction and make efforts to protect Kherson from enemy shelling, primarily civilians and critical infrastructure of the city," he said.
Zaluzhny said the situation on the border with Belarus is fully controlled.
According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, since December 31, as of this morning, the enemy has launched 14 cruise missile strikes and used 94 Shahed-136 kamikaze drones.
"We also discussed the needs of the Defense Forces to continue the fight against the aggressor. I highly appreciate the leadership of General Milley in providing military assistance to Ukraine. Mutual trust and a common vision help to increase the ability of the Ukrainian troops to protect the peaceful cities and villages of our state, which is a guarantee of security throughout Europe," Zaluzhny said.
