'Success of This Offensive Operation is Badly Needed' – Budanov

The apparent leak of classified Pentagon documents will not affect the outcome of the Ukraine's counteroffensive, according to the head of the Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov in an interview with ABC News.

Fundamentally, Budanov believes there is "no risk" that this story will damage relations between Ukraine and the United States, and he also downplayed the likely impact of these "revelations" on the war's course.

Budanov also emphasized that the success of this offensive is essential "not only for Ukrainians but also for our allies" who supply us with funds and ammunition.

"Without victories, sooner or later, questions will be asked whether it's worth continuing to support Ukraine," Budanov added.

The intelligence chief also spoke of the ability of Ukrainian fighters to succeed in the future and the long-awaited counteroffensive. At the same time, US officials privately suggested that "successes will be more modest than last year's lightning operation," which brought vast swathes of territory back under Ukrainian control.

"What will be the results of these actions? I think that, in the near future, everyone will see and feel it," he said.

Some journalists, as reported by Politico, suggest that such negative US assessments may lead to a decrease in trust between Kyiv and Washington ahead of the upcoming counteroffensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

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Zelensky Meets CIA Director William Burns in Ukraine

Zelensky said he had met Burns on multiple occasions throughout the war, but their meetings had been undisclosed.

Previously, the US did not believe in Ukraine's ability to withstand a full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. And now, again, some observers point out that the US may be underestimating the AFU.

"High-ranking Ukrainian officials are upset by a leaked 'top secret' assessment in February that Ukraine will acheive only 'modest territorial gains' from the planned operation," according to the report.

The source said that previously the US did not believe in Ukraine's ability to withstand a full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. However, the US may again underestimate the AFU and other defense forces of the country. According to the publication, a Ukrainian Defense Ministry official said the Ukrainian military had already proved that Western analysts might be wrong.