President Zelenskyy confirms counter-offensive: ‘We firmly believe that we will succeed’

Image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv is now ready to launch its: “long-awaited counter-offensive”. He noted though that it could take some time and be “expensive”.

In an interview conducted in the city of Odesa this Saturday, June 3, with The Wall Street Journal, he told them: “We firmly believe that we will succeed”.

At the same time, the Ukrainian leader noted that he did not know how long the counter-offensive would take. “Honestly, it could go in different ways, completely different. But we are going to do it, and we are ready”, he stressed.

He acknowledged Russia’s air superiority on the front lines and pointed out that the lack of protection from Russian aircraft could mean: “the death of a large number of soldiers”.

Ukraine would like to have more Western weapons for the upcoming campaign he added, but insisted that Kyiv was ready to make a move. “We would like to have certain things, but we cannot wait for months”, Zelenskyy added.

According to him, the Ukrainian ground forces are: “stronger and more motivated than the entrenched Russian troops trying to hold on to about 20 per cent of the territory of Ukraine, which they control in the east and south of the country”.

Zelenskyy expressed his fears that the 2024 US election could bring an administration to power that would be less supportive of Kyiv’s cause, as reported by gazeta.ru.

“In a situation where there is support, you are afraid of change. And, frankly, when you talk about changing the administration, I feel the same as any other person – you want changes for the better, but it can be vice versa”, he explained.

The current Joe Biden administration has already allocated more than $37 billion to Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict and has promised further military assistance. European allies always followed Washington, the American news outlet noted.

He admitted that he could not understand a statement made by former US President Donald Trump when he claimed that he could allegedly: “put an end to the war in 24 hours”.

“Trump didn’t do this during his time in office when Russia already occupied Crimea and part of eastern Ukraine”, the Ukrainian leader claimed.

Donald Trump was in charge at the White House before the start of the conflict. “I’m not sure how Trump would act”, Zelenskyy said.

“Biden has an emotional attachment to Ukraine that underpins his administration’s support for the country”, he continued. However, Zelenskyy stressed that he was encouraged by bipartisan support in the United States.

Ukraine’s expected counter-offensive was met with harsh words yesterday, Friday 2, by Viktor Orban of Hungary. He suggested that there would be a ‘bloodbath’ should Kyiv attempt to attack the Russians and reclaim its territories.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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