Zelenskyy says Ukraine can return Crimea during counter-offensive and names key factor for success

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would be able to defeat the Russian occupation army during a counter-offensive. The head of state also stressed that the Ukrainian army could return the temporarily occupied Crimea.

At the same time, the president noted that Ukraine's success will largely depend on the West's supply of weapons. Zelenskyy said this in an interview with the Finnish newspaper Yle.

According to Zelenskyy, not only the success of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the battlefield, but also how many Ukrainian lives can be saved depends on the pace and volume of Western arms supplies.

"We want to save as many lives as possible, so the number of weapons matters," Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy did not disclose any details about the Ukrainian army's counteroffensive. However, he warned that war is unpredictable and can last for years or even decades. Therefore, the head of state once again called for support for Ukraine now in order not to increase the risks of a larger-scale war.

"It is cheaper for other countries to support Ukraine now than to increase the risks of a third world war," Zelenskyy said.

In addition, the President of Ukraine stressed that the motivation of the Russian occupation forces is decreasing every day. The enemy is also afraid of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the consequences in case of Russia's defeat in the war against Ukraine.

Earlier, Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov spoke about the current stage of preparations for the Ukrainian Armed Forces' counter-offensive. According to him, in a global sense, Ukraine is ready for it. He said that Ukrainian forces are waiting for favourable weather conditions and a decision from the command to launch a counterattack.

Recall that Reznikov hopes that the start of the counter-offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be unexpected even for Ukrainians. According to him, the point of a military operation is that no one should know about it.

As OBOZREVATEL reported, last year, the head of the Defence Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would enter Crimea in the spring of 2023. Now he has confirmed this forecast, noting that all his predictions about the war have come true.

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