Ukraine wants to turn war around this year, needs more help, def min says

Ukraine believes that victory in the full-scale war with Russia is possible and wants to turn the tide as early as this year, but needs more help from its allies, its defence minister said on Thursday.

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Speaking at a European defence and security summit in Brussels, Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine was fulfilling NATO’s mission thanks to Western military aid, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reports.

"Ukraine is Europe's eastern shield against the Russian threat. On the other hand, time is of the essence. Continuing or freezing the war means loss of life and human suffering," he stressed.

Mr Reznikov added that Ukraine wants to turn the war around this year.

"We have already shown on the battlefield that victory is possible, but we need help," Ukraine’s defence minister said.

"If we want peace and security for Europe, we need to move forward. There is no alternative to Ukraine in NATO."

Ukraine has been gearing up for an announced counteroffensive operation to happen somewhere in the spring, including by training troops and receiving armoured vehicles.

Last week, the White House said that the United States had done "just about everything we can" to make sure Ukraine is ready for the operation.