Main image: Mykhailo Fedorov and Pål Jonson. Photo: Niklas Forsström/Government Offices of Sweden.
Ukraine believes there is currently a "window of opportunity" to increase pressure on Russia and is working to expand it through technological solutions and support from its partners.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov made the statement during a joint press briefing with Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson.
"We do believe there is a 'window of opportunity,' and we can all see it. The figures are well known: May was one of the most successful months in recent years in terms of the amount of territory Ukraine liberated compared with Russia's advances and the losses suffered by the Russian army. We are also seeing the impact of the logistics lockdown. Of course, Russia is trying to build up a system of small mobile fire groups and deploy large numbers of electronic warfare systems. They are adapting and strengthening their own capabilities. We are working to open the next window of opportunity rather than waiting for this one to close. That is why winning every technological cycle is important, and we need to invest in it," Fedorov said.
According to the minister, Ukraine is regularly explaining to its partners which types of assistance are most effective for achieving its objectives. This includes redirecting funding toward long-range weapons and medium-range strike drones, as well as accelerating the disbursement of previously announced financial support.
He noted that the United Kingdom will provide Ukraine with £750 million through the mechanism that uses proceeds from frozen Russian assets, while other countries are also speeding up funding for previously announced aid packages. At the same time, of the €60 billion target set for this year under the Ramstein format, only €40 billion has been announced so far, and part of that funding does not correspond to Ukraine's priority needs.
"The important thing is that I am confident our partners understand this because they see how consistently we are implementing the plans we previously announced. We explain how we are using the assistance we receive. Sometimes we even decline certain categories of weapons because we explain that, to achieve our stated objectives, we need a different kind of support. So we ask them to allocate the money more quickly or adjust previously planned assistance—for example, replacing short-range artillery with long-range systems or redirecting funds from certain areas, such as repairs, toward the procurement of medium-range strike drones. This is a daily effort to improve the quality of assistance and to explain to all our partners that this window of opportunity exists and must be seized. At the same time, we are working to create new opportunities for our country. I believe that with each passing month, our partners will see our consistency, our strength, how we are expanding our capabilities, and how we are striking the enemy," Fedorov concluded.
