PM Says Ukrainian Counteroffensive More Likely in Summer than Spring

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine might launch a new counteroffensive not in the spring, but in the summer.

"We do not feel the pressure from our friends and partners vis-a-vis the start of the offensive," he said in an interview with The Hill.

"All of our friends and partners do comprehend clearly that in order to go into counteroffensive, one must be 100 percent, and even more percent prepared to do so," the Prime Minister said. According to him, the counteroffensive could be launched already in the summer.

The head of the Ukrainian government stressed that Ukraine is asking international partners for additional military capabilities, such as tanks, ammunition, aircraft, and armored vehicles.

At the same time, he said that the strongest pressure to launch a counteroffensive comes from within Ukraine.

"Ukrainian forces have been carrying out a grinding and brutal fight to take full control from Russia the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. And addressing shortages of ammunition and weapons – ranging from heavy artillery, armored vehicles, tanks and air defenses – are considered key factors in timing the launch of the counteroffensive," Shmyhal said.