July 29 (Reuters) – Ukraine cannot go “punch for punch” when confronting Russia militarily but must use resources carefully and act in an “asymmetric” fashion, Ukraine’s new acting defence minister said in an interview published early on Wednesday.
Yevhenii Khmara gave the interview with right-wing U.S. blogger Laura Loomer in Kyiv, his first after his appointment as acting minister last week.
He took over after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy removed popular 35-year-old tech specialist Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister, citing his clashes with Ukraine’s top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, who was subsequently dismissed.
Khmara, the former head of the SBU security service, told Loomer that he had a clear vision on what tactics could be used to make Ukraine’s military campaign more effective.
“I have a real picture in my head of what is being used, what can be used against the enemy, and what can be most effective moving forward,” Khmara was quoted as saying in a text interview Loomer published on her account on social media website X.
Khmara told Loomer that resource management and logistics were a critical part of battlefield planning, particularly in ensuring that units had on hand the equipment they needed.
Asked how Ukraine was able in recent months to inflict damage on the oil industry and other infrastructure of its larger adversary, Khmara said: “We can’t go punch for punch. We have to be asymmetric.”
Ukraine’s medium and long-range strikes, aimed particularly at oil industry installations, have prompted shortages of fuel throughout Russian regions. And although Russia regularly claims the capture of settlements along the 1,200 km (775-mile) front line, Ukraine’s military has slowed the Russian advances.
Loomer quoted Khmara as saying that Ukraine’s deep strikes sought to impose costs on Russia that exceeded what it cost to carry them out.
Khmara told Loomer that he hoped Ukraine’s relations with the United States would evolve into a lasting strategic partnership, with Kyiv providing experience in modern warfare.
He also said it was critical for Ukraine to be able to produce Patriot interceptor missiles to counter Russian air attacks.
President Donald Trump said earlier this month that the U.S. would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors.
Trump and Zelenskiy on Tuesday discussed reviving peace talks with Russia and plans for Ukraine to produce the interceptors. Zelenskiy on Tuesday said he shared Ukraine’s need for anti-ballistic missile systems and interceptors with Trump and U.S. senators during his visit to Washington.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Jekaterīna Golubkova and Christian Schmollinger)
Comments