US says Russian offensive on Ukraine's Kharkiv 'all but over'

WASHINGTON

A Russian offensive aimed at seizing Ukraine's second-largest city is "all but over," the White House said Friday.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that Ukraine's forces have been able to use five recently-supplied tranches of US arms "to thwart Russian advances, particularly around Kharkiv."

"The Russians really have kind of stalled out up there. Their advance on Kharkiv is is all but over because they ran into the first line of defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and basically stopped, if not pulled back, some units," he told reporters during a virtual briefing.

"Right now it certainly appears that they've stalled out, but we can't, nor will the Ukrainians, take anything for granted. They want to be able to not just stop the Russians, but push the Russians back," he added.

The comments come after US President Joe Biden sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of a commemoration ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the allied invasion of Europe, known popularly as D-Day.

Biden apologized to his Ukrainian counterpart over the delay in passing a much-needed military aid package for the besieged nation, saying in brief remarks before reporters: "I apologize for the weeks of not knowing what’s going to pass, in terms of funding."

“We had trouble getting the bill that we had to pass that had the money from some of our very conservative members who were holding it up, but we got it done finally,” he added, referring to Republican Party opposition to the package in the US Congress.

Biden in April signed a sweeping $95 billion spending bill into law funding his top national security priorities, including more than $60.8 billion for Ukraine.

In Paris, the president also announced an additional aid package for Ukraine worth $225 million for the reconstruction of the country's electric grid and praised Ukraine’s resistance.

Zelenskyy, during the meeting, presented Biden with what Kirby called "his frank assessment of how things are going on the battlefield and what they need."

Russian forces have been attempting to breach Ukraine’s defenses in the Kharkiv region since early May, opening a new front in the over two-year-long conflict that was hitherto concentrated in the country’s east and south.

Clashes in the region have intensified since then, particularly near Vovchansk, located about 74 kilometers (45 miles) from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, which has also been targeted by Russian airstrikes.

Russia claims to have seized control of multiple border settlements since the start of its offensive on the Kharkiv front, as well as other fronts, including Donetsk.