Yermak: AFU counteroffensive is "going by plan"

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak said this on video which was published on Telegram on Friday, Ukrinform reports.

Yermak said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is "going by plan" and that the soldiers on the front line, the Ukrainian army and the people of Ukraine are doing everything possible to bring victory closer.

"The main goal is to win this war. It’s great that our cooperation, our alliance [between Ukraine and the United States] today is very high level and it’s very helpful," Yermak said.

When asked what American weapons Ukraine still lacks to fight the war, Yermak said that he is currently waiting for the West's decision on ATACMS systems, air defense systems and F-16 fighter jets.

Regarding the impact of Yevhen Prigozhin's rebellion in Russia on the course of the Russian-Ukrainian war and Vladimir Putin's authority, the President of President said that despite the continuation of enemy shelling of Ukraine with various types of weapons, it has become clear that Russia's claims about the second most powerful army in the world are not true.

"Ukrainian nation, our soldiers and army with the help of partners showed that it’s not the reality that Russia has the "second strongest army in the world" or just a strong army. Secondly, the events have shown clearly for all people in the world that in the list of the strong leaders in the world - there is no place for President Putin," Yermak said.

He also emphasized that the results of the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11-12 were "successful for Ukraine, but it is always possible to make it more successful".

"We heard at this summit that all Allies don't just believe, they are sure that Ukraine will win," Yermak said, adding that Ukraine also needs security guarantees.

Head of the President's Office emphasized the importance of continuing to implement the Ukrainian peace formula, whose ten points relate not only to ending the war in Ukraine but also to further major food, nuclear and environmental crises.

As Ukrinform reported, Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency William Burns said on Thursday that he remains optimistic that Ukraine will be able to conduct successful offensive actions against Russia.