Ukraine conducting major counter-offensive, liberating more land - Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this at a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"NATO defense ministers will meet this week to prepare our summit in Vilnius next month. We meet as Ukraine is conducting a major counter-offensive. It is still early days, and we do not know if this will be a turning point of the war. But we see that the Ukrainians are making advances and liberating more land," he said.

Stoltenberg also added: "We know that the more gains Ukraine makes, the stronger their hand will be at the negotiating table. The more gains Ukraine makes, the more likely it will be that President Putin realizes he cannot win on the battlefield but has to negotiate a just peace."

"The progress we see is a testament to the courage and commitment of the Ukrainian forces. It also demonstrates that the support provided by NATO allies is making a real difference om the battlefield as we speak," he said.