- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country needs more time to launch a much-anticipated counter-offensive against Russian forces.
- “We’d lose a lot of people. I think that’s unacceptable. So, we need to wait. We still need a bit more time.”- Zelensky said.
- For now, there is no real possibility of talks to end the conflict, as both sides say they will fight until victory.
- Mr. Zelensky again rejected the Russian accusation that Ukraine was behind an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin which was described as an attempt to assassinate President Putin.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country needs more time to launch a much-anticipated counter-offensive against Russian forces, as the military awaits the delivery of promised aid. The expected attack could be decisive in the war. It will also be a crucial test for Ukraine, eager to prove that the weapons and equipment it has received from the West can result in significant battlefield gains.
Speaking at his headquarters in Kyiv, President Zelensky described combat brigades, some of which were trained by Nato countries, as being “ready” but said the army still needed “some things”, including armored vehicles that were “arriving in batches”. “With what we already have we can go forward, and, I think, be successful,” he said in an interview for public service broadcasters. “But we’d lose a lot of people. I think that’s unacceptable. So, we need to wait. We still need a bit more time.”
When and where the Ukrainian push will happen is a secret. Russian forces, meanwhile, have fortified their defences along a frontline that runs for 900 miles (1,450km) from the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk to Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south.
The president expressed confidence that the Ukrainian military could advance, warning of the risks of a “frozen conflict” which, he said, was what Russia was “counting on”.
For Kyiv, any result that is seen as disappointing in the West could mean a reduction in military support and pressure to negotiate with Russia. With nearly a fifth of the country under Russian control, and President Vladimir Putin declaring the annexation of four regions his forces partially occupy, this would possibly include discussing land concessions.
For now, there is no real possibility of talks to end the conflict, as both sides say they will fight until victory. President Zelensky has offered a 10-point peace proposal, calling for the return of all invaded territory, reparation payments for war-related damages, and the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes, a plan that Moscow has flatly rejected.
Mr. Zelensky again rejected the Russian accusation that Ukraine was behind an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin last week, which was described by Moscow as an attempt to assassinate President Putin.
(With inputs from agencies)
