Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged on June 21, 2023, that progress in Ukraine’s counteroffensive had been “slower than desired,” in an interview with the BBC weeks after the offensive began.
“It’s not” a movie
“Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It’s not,” Zelenskyy said. “What’s at stake is people’s lives.”
He said Ukraine would not be pressured into moving faster. “We will advance on the battlefield the way we deem best,” he said.
Mines slowing the advance
Zelenskyy said Russian forces had mined about 200,000 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, slowing the advance, Kyiv Post reported, citing the interview. By then, Ukraine said its forces had liberated eight villages since the start of the counteroffensive.
Nuclear threats
Asked about Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats, Zelenskyy said he did not believe the Russian leader was ready to use nuclear weapons. “I don’t think he is ready to do it because he is scared for his life, he loves it a lot,” he said.
Russia has said it has begun moving tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, a step Western governments condemned as irresponsible.
Context
Ukraine’s counteroffensive began in early June, with fighting concentrated in the south and east, particularly in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts. Ukrainian forces face dense minefields and extensive Russian defensive lines prepared over the winter.
Sources
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