Natalia Galibarenko, ambassador of Ukraine’s mission to NATO, seemingly tried to temper expectations about Ukraine’s coming counteroffensive against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces.
According to a translation by The Kyiv Independent, Galibarenko told the Lithuanian media outlet LRT that it is important to understand that “one counteroffensive cannot determine the course of the entire war.” Instead, she said, “several counteroffensives” may be needed for such a result.
Ukraine has been preparing for a large counteroffensive for months, with officials originally stating it would be launched in the spring. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that Kyiv is delaying the counterattack against Russia because his military could suffer too many casualties due to what he characterized as an insufficient amount of Western weapons.
“We are now telling our international partners: Be patient, don’t push too hard,” Galibarenko said to LRT, per the Independent. “Now it is more important to think about what else can be done to make this counteroffensive successful.”
www.newsweek.com/ukraine-prepares-war-allies-disappointment-1801312