“We are ready for the counter-offensive”, assures Volodymyr Zelensky

“We will do it and we are ready.” In an interview at wall street journal (in English)Saturday, June 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that Ukraine was ready to launch its counter-offensive, which had been announced for weeks. “We firmly believe that we will succeed”, he added. Last week, however, the Head of State said that his country needed “more time” to implement this response intended to take back from the Russians the territories they occupy.

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Volodymyr Zelensky also warned that the offensive would be “dangerous” without increased Western aid to counter Russian air attacks. “Everyone knows that a counter-offensive without air superiority is very dangerous”, added the Ukrainian President. Only one weapon, the US Patriot surface-to-air missile system, can protect Ukrainian skies, he added, calling for more such weapons to be delivered to his country.

In view of the NATO summit to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, next month, the Ukrainian head of state admitted having understood that he was “impossible” for his country to join the military alliance during the Russian invasion. “Joining NATO is the best guarantee of security for Ukraine (…) but we understand that we will not drag a single NATO country into a war”he said the day before at a press conference.