“We Can Defeat Russia With Our Counter Offense” – Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the success of the continuing counteroffensive against Russia is critical to the country’s future.

Russia annexed four regions of Ukraine following its invasion on February 24, 2022, controlling 20% of Ukrainian land.

Ukraine launched its counteroffensive on July 4th, after receiving billions of euros in military weaponry from the West and months of training.

Zelenskyy now feels that if Russia loses this battle, it will ultimately lose the war, which is why Russia is fighting back in the face of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

“Our heroic people, our troops on the front of the front line are facing very tough resistance,” he said in an interview in his presidential office in Kyiv to NBC News on Thursday, June 15.

“Because for Russia to lose this campaign to Ukraine, I would say, actually means losing the war.”

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The news from the front lines, according to Zelenskyy, is “generally positive, but it’s very difficult,” and the delayed introduction of new Western weapons, including fighter jets, is aiding Russia’s defence effort.

He also addressed former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, both Republican presidential hopefuls who have questioned the US military’s continued backing for Kyiv. Zelenskyy asked them to visit Ukraine, warning that failure would only lead to a larger battle with Moscow later on.

In the early stages of the war, Kyiv has claimed incremental successes, but there has been no breakthrough against powerful Russian fortifications in Ukraine’s south and east.

“I understand that there is bureaucracy,” Zelenskyy said. “But we are losing time, we are losing people, and, the most important thing, we are losing our advantage” and “Russia is controlling the air.” Analysts have said that Russia’s aerial dominance is a significant factor in the battles being waged across the front lines.

“Ukraine wants to be able to compete in the air — let us do it today,” Zelenskyy said. And drip-feeding F-16s and other weapons “means the war will last longer,” he added. “It’s not Ukraine against Russia, Russia is fighting against the civilized world.”