Delays in weapons deliveries from allies played a part in the fall of the stronghold, and are jeopardising Ukrainian defences elsewhere on the battlefield, she added.
“Avdiivka is a clear testimony to the fact that the delay in assistance costs lives dearly,” she said. “We need more weapons to make progress and turn the tide.”
PRESSING FOR MORE AID
As dwindling foreign support and supplies threaten Kyiv’s hold on the fragile 1,000km frontline, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to his Western allies to speed up aid and plug a weapons shortage.
Ms Zelenko echoed her president’s pleas to replenish the overstretched and exhausted ranks, adding that if the world does not stand united with Ukraine, the conflict could snowball into a wider global security crisis.
“Our soldiers are committed to defending their country, they simply need the equipment to make it happen,” she said.
“We need to work together. Not a single country in Europe is capable of defeating an aggressor alone. Ultimately, it’s not only about Ukraine.”