Speaking at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, he noted that Ukrainian troops are currently fortifying their positions against future potential Russian assaults.
“Regarding Kharkiv, I would say the situation is somewhat more stabilized now than in the last few weeks,” Interfax-Ukraine news agency quotes Brown.
“One of the things the Ukrainians have concentrated on in the past few months and will continue to focus on into 2024 is strengthening their defensive lines.”
He suggested that the Russian offensive ran out of steam because the defending Ukrainian troops were “quite effectively building defensive lines.”
However, he acknowledged the problem when "the Russians advance towards Kharkiv, it distracts the attention and capabilities of the Ukrainians from other regions, spreading their defense even thinner."
"But we have seen that the Ukrainians are very good at holding the defense, and I think we will continue to see this in the Kharkiv area," Brown added.