Russia is trying to “freeze” hostilities in Ukraine in the winter to strengthen its forces in view of a new assault in the spring, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, as quoted by AFP.

• “What we’re seeing now is that Russia is trying to freeze this war, at least for a short period of time, so that it can regroup, repair, recover, and then try a larger offensive in the spring,” Stoltenberg said. at a public event organized by the British daily Financial Times.

NATO members continue to provide Ukraine with “unprecedented” weapons and support, despite concerns about possible depletion of Western stockpiles, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said.

“Adding new systems is just as important as making sure that the systems or weapons we’ve already put in are actually operational or working effectively. That means they need a significant amount of ammunition, parts and maintenance,” Stoltenberg said.

The frontline in Ukraine has stabilized after Kyiv forces achieved stunning success in liberating the city of Kherson and surrounding areas on the west bank of the Dnipro River last month. The fiercest fighting is currently taking place around the city of Bakhmut in the east of the country, which Russian troops have been trying to capture for several months. The US expects the fighting to continue at a “reduced pace” in the coming months as the two warring sides try to rebuild their forces.

Stoltenberg said he had “no additional information” about alleged Ukrainian drone attacks on air bases in Russia after the United States said it “does not allow or encourage” such attacks from Kyiv.

The head of NATO also stated that at the moment “the conditions have not been met” for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, “since Russia has not shown any signs of participating in negotiations that respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.” (Source: Agerpres)