Brussels, 16 May 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Ukraine can "hold the line" against the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe (SACEUR), Christopher Cavoli, said on Thursday.

The top US general said the Russian army was trying to retake territory in Kharkiv lost to the Ukrainian counteroffensive last year, with some local gains, but that Moscow has yet to mass enough soldiers for a major push.

"The Russians don't have the numbers necessary to do a strategic breakthrough," Cavoli said, speaking at alliance headquarters after a meeting of NATO military chiefs of staff.

"More to the point - they don't have the skill and the capability to do it - to operate at the scale necessary to exploit any breakthrough to strategic advantage," he added.

Photo: EPA