PM on counteroffensive: We protect our soldiers and move forward

"We should all understand that every life is important to us. We will not lead our people under fire as is done by the Russian army which was not and is not counting people's lives. We work according to NATO standards, we protect each of our soldiers and take steps forward. It will take time, but we intend to move forward and we are moving forward within the counteroffensive. We all have to be patient and we will see the results," Shmyhal said at the press conference in London, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He added that he is optimistic. According to Shmyhal, despite the difficulties, the Ukrainian army is gradually moving forward. Over the past two weeks, the Ukrainian troops have liberated eight settlements. In total, more than 113 sq km have been liberated. "We have advanced 7 km of territory," the Head of Government said.

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is not easy as the Russians mined 200,000 sq km of Ukrainian territory.