The Ukrainian president says that offensive and defensive actions are being conducted against Russian forces, asserting that his top commanders are maintaining a positive attitude despite intense fighting on the front lines.
In a Kyiv news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Ukrainian leader responded to a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comment a day earlier that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had begun and Ukrainian forces had suffered “significant losses.”
In Ukraine, Zelennsky said, “counteroffensive and defensive actions are underway.”. I will not speak about which stage or phase they are in.”
“I am in touch with our commanders of different directions every day,” he added, citing the names of five of Ukraine’s top military leaders. “Everyone is positive. Pass this on to Putin.”
There had been 34 clashes in Ukraine’s industrial east on Saturday, according to the General Staff. No details were provided, but it said Russian forces were launching air and artillery strikes near Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine.
While Ukrainian authorities haven’t announced a full-blown counteroffensive, some Western analysts say fiercer fighting and the use of reserve troops suggest it is underway. There are growing expectations about when the high-tech, top-of-the-line military equipment supplied by the West to Ukraine will be used, and to what effect against dug-in Russian lines.
