Ukraine ready for counteroffensive against Russia: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said that the country was ready to launch its "long-awaited counteroffensive" to recapture the territory occupied by Russia in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Saturday, Zelenskyy said he doesn't know how long the counteroperation will go but is confident of winning it.

• Ukraine successfully launched several counteroffensive actions against Russia, recently forcing its troops to vacate many territories.
• On the other hand, Russia is yet to achieve any major breakthrough in Ukraine, which presents a tough situation for President Vladimir Putin.
• Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 over territorial disputes and to prevent the latter from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Zelenskyy said, "I don't know how long it will take. To be honest, it can go a variety of ways, completely different. But we are going to do it, and we are ready." "We strongly believe that we will succeed," he added. Kyiv also hopes a counteroffensive to reclaim territory will change the dynamics of the war.

Zelenskyy's remarks come only days after he admitted that Ukraine would be unable to join NATO before Russia's invasion ended. According to Reuters, his statements have increased pressure on NATO and the European Union (EU) to open their doors to Ukraine. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg stated that all member countries agreed that Ukraine will join the bloc at some time in the future.

Last month, Zelenskyy reportedly stated that Ukraine needed to wait for the arrival of additional defense support from Western countries for a counteroffensive. Ukraine has been on a diplomatic offensive to preserve Western backing, demanding additional military assistance and equipment to succeed against Russia. Reportedly, Russia has captured some parts of the east, south, and southeast of Ukraine.

Russia's Belgorod reported an increase in Ukrainian attacks in recent weeks because of its closeness to the Ukrainian border. According to authorities, Friday's bombardment of the area resulted in the deaths of four people. In recent days, shelling has forced hundreds of locals to leave areas close to Russia's southwest border. Meanwhile, Moscow continued to bombard Kyiv for the sixth day in a row.