In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged not to think about Ukraine's expected counteroffensive as the last one "because we don't know what will come out of it."
"If we succeed in liberating our territories with this counteroffensive, you can say it was the last one, but if not, that means we have to prepare for the next counteroffensive," said Kuleba.
According to the Washington Post, top Ukrainian officials are afraid the much-anticipated upcoming Ukrainian offensive may not live up to expectations.
"The expectation from our counteroffensive campaign is overestimated in the world," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told the Washington Post. "Most people are … waiting for something huge," he said, which could lead to "emotional disappointment."
The outcome of Ukraine's counteroffensive is expected to be a critical turning point in the war that will determine whether Ukraine reclaims more of its territory or is pressured by allies to meet with Russia at the negotiating table. Western supplies of weapons are seen as critical to Ukraine's ability to launch a successful counteroffensive.
Kyiv has repeatedly vowed to liberate all Ukrainian territories within the 1991 borders, including the Crimean peninsula as well as parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts occupied since 2014.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
