President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said in an interview with the BBC that Ukraine needs more time to launch the long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia, as the Armed Forces still need help from the West.
"With what we have, we can move forward and be successful. But we would lose a lot of people. I consider this unacceptable. So we need to wait. We still need some time," Zelenskyy said.
According to him, the Ukrainian army still needs "some things", including armoured vehicles, which "come in batches". However, the Ukrainian military will advance to avoid the risks of a "frozen conflict" that Russia is counting on.
The president stressed that no-one "can put pressure on Ukraine to give up its territories. Why should any country in the world give up its territory to Putin?"
According to Zelenskyy, Western sanctions have affected Russia's defence industry: Russia is currently experiencing a shortage of missiles and artillery.
"They still have a lot (of weapons - ed.) in warehouses, but... we already see that they have reduced shelling in some areas during the day," he added.
At the same time, he noted, Russia has found ways to circumvent some restrictions, so countries need to target those who help Russia circumvent sanctions.