Russia Controls About 20% of Ukrainian Territory: Zelensky

On Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that Russia controls about 20 percent of the Ukrainian territory, while the combat front line stretches for more than 1,000 kilometers.

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"Practically, we are fighting against the entire Russian Army," he said during a virtual message to the Luxembourg Parliament in which he reiterated his request for international help. Without supplies of heavy weapons, Ukraine is "not capable of facing" Russian troops, Zelensky said, adding that the Russians have entered 3,620 towns or villages in the country.

In recent days, Russia has intensified its offensive in Donbas, a region that is largely under its control. Fighting has been particularly heavy in eastern Luhansk, where Russian troops are trying to break through Ukrainian resistance lines and take the city of Severodonetsk.

"However they have not been successful last night. They control part of the city but not all of it," said Serhy Haidai, the Ukrainian governor in that region.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Joe Biden's administration is "purposefully and diligently adding fuel to the fire" by continuously providing military assistance to Ukraine.

"The United States, obviously, really adheres to the policy of fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian," he said, commenting on Washington's plan to supply additional weapons to Kiev.

Washington is expected to unveil a US$700-million weapon package, including supply of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, which is to enable Ukraine to fire more precisely at targets. Such deliveries do not contribute to the awakening of the Ukrainian leadership's desire to resume peace talks with Russia, Peskov said.