Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country was ready to launch the much-anticipated counter-offensive to liberate areas held by Russian forces, but warned it could take time and be costly.
“We firmly believe that we will succeed,” Zelenskiy said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on June 3rd.
Live briefing: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
RFE/RLs live briefing brings you the latest developments on the large-scale invasion of Russia, the Kiev counter-offensives, Western military aid, the global response and the plight of civilians. For all RFE/RL coverage of the war in Ukraine: Click here.
“I don’t know how long it will take. To be honest, it can go in different directions, completely different. But we will do it and we are ready,” he added.
Zelenskyi said the Ukrainian army has not “received all the weapons we hoped for, but we cannot wait any longer”.
Zelenskyy called Last month, his country needed more weapons, including armored vehicles, before launching its long-awaited counteroffensive.
Ukraine’s president is pushing for more military aid and weapons from Western countries.
Russia has conquered Ukrainian territory in the east, south and south-east.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine urgently needs more US-made Patriot anti-missile systems to protect its citizens from Russian airstrikes and shield troops fighting on the front lines.
He said a lack of protection from Russian airstrikes meant that “a large number of soldiers would die” in the counteroffensive.
Separately, Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr Havrylov told Portal on June 3 that the aim of an “unprecedented” spate of Russian missile and drone strikes across the country in recent weeks is to halt the counteroffensive.
SEE ALSO: Air Defenses: Ukraine parries as Russia attempts to slow counteroffensive with new wave of attacks
Speaking on the sidelines of a high-level security conference in Singapore in May, Havrylov called Russia’s massive use of ballistic missiles a “strategic last resort” and said his country’s air defense systems were “more than 90 percent effective” against the attacks.
Meanwhile, Kremlin-linked Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, who controls the notorious Wagner mercenary group, said on June 3 that Kremlin factions are weakening the state by trying to undermine it.
In a message published by his press service, Prigozhin accused unnamed officials of the Russian elite of “playing dangerous games”, adding that they had “opened Pandora’s box”.
Prigozhin repeated his earlier criticism of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff General Valery Gerasimov, saying the Defense Ministry was “not in a position to do anything at all”.
With reporting from Portal