Frustrated Zelensky says Ukraine’s war efforts are underestimated

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has expressed frustration over what he has called unrealistic expectations for quick success on the battlefield, amid concerns that slow progress against entrenched Russian forces will discourage Kiev’s allies from providing military assistance.

“The modern world is quickly becoming accustomed to success,” Mr. Zelensky said in his book nightly address on Tuesday he complained that the performance of Ukrainian troops is “taken as a given.”

Mr. Zelensky’s comments came as the Biden administration sought congressional approval for a $105 billion aid package that includes aid to both Israel and Ukraine. But some Republicans are opposed to sending more aid to Ukraine — and have moved to separate the funding request from aid to Israel.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III warned U.S. senators Tuesday that if they cut off funding to Ukraine, as some Republicans have promised, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia would win the war.

“I can guarantee that Putin will be successful without our support,” Austin said told a Senate hearing. “If we pull the rug out from under them now, Putin will only become stronger and he will be successful in acquiring his neighbor’s sovereign territory.”

Ukraine’s financing has become a toxic issue among Republicans. Some argue that too much money has already been spent supporting Kiev’s war effort with little progress to be seen, and support prioritizing military aid to Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

“American taxpayers have grown tired of funding an endless stalemate in Ukraine with no vision of victory,” eight Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives wrote in a speech. letter addressed to President Biden on Tuesday.

While the naysayers in Congress represent a minority overall, the shift in Republican sentiment has left the party’s Ukrainian supporters angry and alarmed and scrambling to figure out how to reverse the trend before a shortage of funding hinders Ukraine on the battlefield.

The Biden administration’s aid package includes more than $60 billion for Ukraine, which would help Kiev maintain what has largely become a war of attrition against Moscow.

Both sides burned enormous amounts of ammunition. On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said Russia had shelled nearly 120 settlements in the past 24 hours — more than on any day so far this year.

“This is a record number of cities and towns that have been attacked,” Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said in a speech. rack. Ukraine’s east and south were hardest hit, according to Mr Klymenko, who said at least three civilians were killed and residential buildings and an oil refinery came under fire.

Ukrainian officials have warned that Moscow is likely to resume attacks on energy infrastructure as winter approaches, but say they are prepared for such a campaign as they have improved defenses around energy facilities and increased air defense systems from Western partners received.

But Kiev’s armed forces are also battling fierce fighting along the front lines. Russia has been on the offensive in recent weeks around the eastern cities of Avdiivka and Kupiansk. Ukrainian forces have faced repeated attacks and shelling, but have largely withstood the attacks and ceded little ground.

Vitalii Barabash, the head of the military administration in Avdiivka, said the city, already devastated by months of shelling, was preparing for a new wave of attacks. “The enemy is regrouping and bringing in equipment and personnel,” Mr. Barabash said national television on Tuesday. “We hear and see it.”

In an effort to hamper Moscow’s combat capabilities, Ukraine is increasingly targeting Russian military equipment and depots using long-range strikes. And to support what many analysts predict will be a protracted battle, Ukraine has ramped up its domestic arms production, with $1 billion for drone production.

However, analysts say that with the current growth of military production in Russia, Moscow is likely to have a material benefit on the battlefield in the coming months. That’s why continued help from allies like the United States — Kiev’s biggest military backer — is crucial, Ukrainian officials said.

“If we continue our joint cooperation, we will win,” Oleksiy Danilov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said in an interview on Tuesday. “If you leave us to our own devices, it will be much more difficult for us.”

Mr. Zelensky has recognized in recent weeks the risk that the world’s attention could drift away from Ukraine. In his late-night speech, he noted how his country’s armed forces had driven Russia’s Black Sea Fleet off Ukraine’s west coast and forced some ships to move from the illegally occupied Crimean peninsula. That has limited Moscow’s ability to use its ships to attack Ukraine and helped Kiev secure a shipping route to export its grain.

“Ukraine’s success in the Black Sea battle will go down in the history books,” Mr Zelensky said.

But in a sign of his frustration, he added: “It’s not talked about as much now.”

Marc Santora reporting contributed.