According to many signs, the Russian army is preparing to conduct a long-term military operation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said.

"The war is moving into a protracted phase. We see how in Kherson region, in Zaporizhia region, the Russian occupiers are actively carrying out engineering and fortification works in order to switch to defense if necessary," Reznikov said in an address to the Council of Foreign Affairs of the European Union at the level of Defense Ministers and the NATO Secretary General, the text of which is posted on the page of the head of the Defense Ministry on Facebook.

The Minister noted that every day of the war increases the number of deaths among the Ukrainian military and brings enormous suffering to the civilian population, especially in the territories temporarily occupied by Russia, and also destroys the Ukrainian economy.

"The need for resources for recovery is increasing every day. Prolonging the war entails the risk of a global food crisis, as well as another migration crisis. Given this, we want to defeat the enemy and liberate our territories as soon as possible, not to let Russia prolong the conflict," Reznikov stressed.

He clarified that Ukraine is very interested in receiving international assistance and buying weapons "as quickly as possible and in the right quantities." "We need tanks, armored vehicles, long-range weapons (MLRS, heavy artillery, aviation, missiles). We strive to save the lives of our people," the head of the Defense Ministry said.

In addition, according to Reznikov, Kyiv sees an increase in the effectiveness of international assistance due to better coordination of the efforts of all partners.

"In particular, the weapons that we can receive in the form of material and technical assistance or under commercial contracts can arrive in the short, medium and long term," the minister said.

He also stressed that there are EU countries that do not have weapons or other weapons positions that Ukraine needs, but "who want and can help, in particular, with money."

"In this context, the possibility of expanding EPF tools can be considered – to supplement it with a trust fund type element where the EU countries, where there are no weapons, could transfer funds to management, which, at the request of Ukraine, will be sent to other EU countries as payment for certain positions," Reznikov said.

"We really appreciate the support you provide, and we understand that it cannot be unlimited. Therefore, we are interested in using it as efficiently as possible. We see that Russia can be defeated on the battlefield. This will free the world from tyranny, and Europe from the constant threat," concluded the head of the Defense Ministry.