President Zelensky: We are ready for counteroffensive

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, an Ukrinform correspondent reports, referring to BBC Ukraine.

“We firmly believe that we will succeed. I don’t know how long this [counteroffensive - ed.] will take. To be honest, it could go in different ways, completely different. But we are going to do this, we are ready,” Zelensky said.

At the same time, the President of Ukraine admitted that Russia had superiority in the sky over the front line and, in the absence of powerful weapons, a huge number of servicemen would die.

“We would like to have some things, but we can’t wait for months,” Zelensky mentioned.

The Head of State noted that Ukraine would need additional Patriot missile batteries to protect its settlements and troops on the front. Zelensky would like to have 50 of them, as the Patriot is the only system that can intercept a certain type of Russian missiles.

The President of Ukraine expressed concern over the upcoming presidential elections in the United States, as President Biden’s administration had provided unprecedented support to Ukraine since the Russian invasion started.

“In a situation like this, when there is support, you are afraid of changes. And to be honest, when you mention a change of administration, I feel the same way as anyone: you want changes for the better, but it can also be the other way around,” the Head of State explained.

According to Zelensky, Ukraine also expects specific steps regarding its prospects for NATO membership and has high hopes for the Alliance’s July Summit in Vilnius.

“If we are not acknowledged and given a signal in Vilnius, I believe there is no point for Ukraine to be at this summit,” the Head of State added.

A reminder that, during a joint press conference with President of the Republic of Estonia Alar Karis, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the counteroffensive should result in the liberation of Ukrainian territories from Russian invaders.