Ukraine holds initiative on battlefield – NATO Military Committee chief

NATO Military Committee Chair Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone said this in comments to Ukrinform on the sidelines of the Berlin Security Conference. "I've been briefed that things on the land are proceeding positively for Ukraine, even if slowly," the admiral said when asked to assess the battlefield situation. At the same time, he stressed the importance of moving toward negotiations and ending hostilities, noting that Ukraine is ready for this, while Russia still needs to be convinced. "The thing is that everybody is really keen to sit at the negotiation table and stop fighting. I think that Ukraine is ready to do this. I think that Russia needs to be convinced. But this is the only next step that we can try for," Dragone said.