Photo: Louise Delmotte-Pool/Getty Images
The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenskysaid in an interview published on Saturday that his country is ready for the anticipated counter-offensive against the Russian occupation forces.
“In my opinion, as of today, we are ready to do it,” Zelensky said in a wide-ranging interview with The Wall Street Journal. “We would like to have certain things, but we cannot wait months. We firmly believe that we will achieve it. I don’t know how long it will take.”
Zelensky acknowledged Russian air superiority at the front, saying the lack of Russian air power protection means “a large number of soldiers will die” in the counteroffensive.
“Ukraine would have liked to have more Western-supplied weapons for the upcoming campaign,” he said. “Still, Ukraine is ready to move.”
The Ukrainian leader also spoke out on other issues, including US policy.
Speaking about next year’s presidential election, Zelensky said that the president Joe Biden “He has been more helpful than President Trump,” although he stressed that there was no large-scale invasion during Donald Trump’s tenure.
The Biden administration has committed more than $37 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia and has promised more military aid. The European allies have followed.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Volodimir Havrylov has also shown optimism in a victory for Ukraine in the war against Russia, calling Russia’s use of ballistic missiles in May “a strategic last resort,” noting that the system Ukraine’s air defense system had been “more than 90 percent effective against attacks.”
Volodimir Havrylov said that in addition to cruise missile attacks, Ukraine faced continued ballistic missile attacks in May, especially on urban centers, including the capital Kiev.
Keep reading:
– “Dragon’s teeth” and anti-tank trenches: the satellite images that reveal how Russia is preparing for the expected Ukrainian counteroffensive
– Ukraine says it is ready for a military counteroffensive against Russia
– The President of Ukraine gave a surprise commencement address at a US university.