Zelensky does not know whether the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ counter-offensive will bring success this year

President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky in an interview with CNN statedwhich does not know whether the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be able to achieve significant success during the counteroffensive before the end of the year.

“I think no one knows, really,” he answered the corresponding question from the journalist. At the same time, the Ukrainian president believes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have achieved “some success” in the east and expects greater results in the future.

During the interview, Zelensky also said that he expects a positive decision from the United States on the supply of long-range ATACMS missiles. Otherwise, he said, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will have “more casualties on the battlefield.”

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been conducting active offensive operations since the beginning of June. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously called the offensive “not a slippage, but a failure.” During the EEF plenary session, he statedthat Ukraine has no results, while the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the beginning of the counter-offensive have already amounted to 71,500 people.

The president’s words about the lack of success in the Ukrainian army were confirmed by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. According to him, over the three months of the counter-offensive, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have not achieved their goals in any direction. The minister also pointed to the “colossal losses” of the Ukrainian army.

At the same time, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his visit to Kyiv on September 6, announced “progress” in Ukraine’s counter-offensive. On the same day, he announced the allocation of another $1 billion in financial assistance to Kyiv.