Ukrainian military currently holds the strongest positions over the extended period of the full-scale war with Russia. However, the situation could be significantly better, including in the diplomatic direction, if international partners provided Ukraine with the necessary weapons in full volume.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said this on Tuesday, October 27, commenting on the results of the Defense Forces' operations.
According to the head of state, the Ukrainian army conducted several large-scale operations during 2026, which allowed strengthening defensive positions and thwarting the plans of the Russian command in certain sectors of the front.
"This year, Ukraine's positions on the front remain the strongest, the strongest in a long time of this war", — the president emphasized.
At the same time, Zelensky noted that military results could have provided Ukraine with a significantly more advantageous position in international negotiations if the support of allies remained as strong as the resistance of the Ukrainian army.
This is especially true for the supply of air defense systems and missiles for them.
"If the partners' support for Ukraine had remained as strong, particularly regarding our Patriots and other air defense means, Ukraine would be in a completely different position, and diplomatically — in a much better one," — Zelensky said.
The president also spoke about three notable operations of the Ukrainian troops conducted in 2026.
He called the first the large-scale actions of the Airborne Assault Forces units, as a result of which, according to him, more than 800 square kilometers of territory were liberated.
The second was the "Vivaldi" operation in the Donetsk region. Zelensky noted that it was carried out in the areas where the Russian command planned a large-scale offensive and concentrated significant forces.
The president called the third the "Veles" operation, which is conducted by the 2nd Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine "Kharkiv³]". At, on the Kupiansk direction.
According to Zelensky's assessment, the actions of Ukrainian units in the Kupiansk area strengthen the positions of the Defense Forces and demonstrate the inability of Russian troops to fulfill the tasks assigned to them.
Earlier on October 27, the president reported that during the "Veles" operation, Ukrainian servicemen destroyed more than a hundred Russian soldiers and captured over 30 people. These figures are provided according to data from the Ukrainian side.
Zelensky already made a statement about strong positions on the front on October 12 following a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff. At that time, he noted that Ukrainian units continue active defense and gradually push out Russian troops, despite their numerical advantage in certain areas.
In his new address, the president specifically linked military successes with the need to increase international support, emphasizing that insufficient supplies of air defense systems limit Ukraine's ability to strengthen its positions not only on the battlefield, but also at the negotiations.
On the same day, Zelensky reported on ongoing work with the United States and European countries to provide Ukrainian air defense with additional missiles for Patriot and NASAMS systems.
According to the president, Ukraine expects implementation of previously agreed decisions on arms supplies. Certain aid packages are being delayed, although the need for protection against Russian missile attacks remains high.
