Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a new interview that Kyiv is ready for its much-anticipated counteroffensive against Russian forces occupying parts of his nation.
“I don’t know how long it will take,” Zelensky told The Wall Street Journal. “To be honest, it can go a variety of ways, completely different. But we are going to do it, and we are ready.”
The Ukrainian president also said “we strongly believe that we will succeed” in the effort to retake Russian-occupied territory, more than a year after Moscow first invaded in February, 2022.
Ukrainian officials have indicated in recent weeks that the country is nearing the launch of its expected counteroffensive.
Zelensky said in early May that his country’s military needed more time to prepare, but the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces said last week that “the time will soon come when we will move to active offensive actions.”
Ukraine’s chief military officer, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said last week that “it’s time to get back what’s ours.”
Zelensky also told the Journal that Ukraine wants more weapons from Western allies, “but we can’t wait for months,” hinting at the potential timeline for a what would be the high-stakes counteroffensive campaign.
The president acknowledged Russian air power and predicted it’s possible “a large number of soldiers will die” in the counteroffensive. He said his ground forces are “stronger and more motivated” than Russia’s.
Ukrainian defenders are keeping up the pressure in places like Bakhmut as Russia continues missile attacks on Kyiv and elsewhere.