Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week said that this military’s counteroffensive could end the war and force Russia out of Ukraine entirely. Speaking to NBC News on Thursday, Zelensky said that if the Kremlin loses in the wake of his counteroffensive, they will lose the war.
“Our heroic people, our troops on the front of the front line are facing very tough resistance,” Zelensky told the outlet. “Because for Russia to lose this campaign to Ukraine, I would say, actually means losing the war.”
Reports From the Front Line
The Ukrainian leader also said that reports from the front line have so far been “generally positive,” but he did not play down the seriousness of his ongoing military efforts and described the ongoing counteroffensive as “very difficult.”
As is typically the case for Zelenskyy while speaking to U.S. media outlets, he also stressed the importance of receiving yet more Western weapons, focusing specifically on the slow progress made in supplying modern fighter jets to Ukraine so far.
Zelensky’s comments could indicate that his military has much more planned for the ongoing counteroffensive, though could also be designed to encourage Western leaders to speed up plans to deliver F-16 fighter jets and other advanced weapons.
The New York Times reported on June 15 that Ukrainian defense officials had reported slow progress in multiple parts of southeastern Ukraine where soldiers are attempting to push back Russian troops.
Hanna Malyar, a deputy Ukrainian defense minister, told reporters this week that it is proving “very difficult to advance.” While Ukraine has reportedly taken back control of at least seven towns and villages since the counteroffensive began, Malyar confirmed that no new gains were made over the last three days, and added that progress is “slow” but “confident.”
Will Ukraine Even Need F-16s?
If Zelenskyy is right, and Russia loses the ongoing counteroffensive, it could theoretically make the West’s promise to provide F-16 flight training to Ukrainian pilots – and ultimately the delivery of advanced jets themselves – an unnecessary expense. Chances are, however, Zelensky is hoping that the jets will arrive in Ukraine during the counteroffensive, and ultimately help his military achieve its goals as soon as possible.
On June 15, Western defense chiefs met at the NATO headquarters for a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, in which the plans to provide F-16 training were discussed.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters that the Netherlands and Denmark would step up to “lead this consortium” and are already “outlining the plan for training.”
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
From 19FortyFive
Footage Shows World War I Guns Being Used in Ukraine
‘Vacuum Bombs Destroyed’: Ukraine Footage Shows Putin’s Thermobaric Rockets Destroyed
BOOM! Ukraine Video Shows Precision Strike on Russian Air-Defense System
