President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 4, as cited by Ukrainska Pravda, that Ukraine is actively preparing for an upcoming counteroffensive, and there are no options for failure for the country's leadership.

"We think about how to prepare for a counteroffensive, but we don't think that we might not succeed. This is not our way," Zelensky said during a joint press conference with the prime ministers of the Netherlands and Belgium.

"We are doing our best. Not only our military but also society, our factories, our entrepreneurs - everyone is thinking about strengthening our army daily."

However, Zelensky added that "success" might not be the wrong word to describe the counteroffensive's potential results as Ukraine loses people while liberating its territories.

The outcome of the anticipated counteroffensive is expected to be a critical turning point in the war that will determine whether Kyiv reclaims more of its territory or is pressured by allies to meet with Russia at the negotiating table.

On April 28, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine's preparations for an upcoming counteroffensive are "coming to an end" as the military undergoes training on Western-provided weapons.

According to a U.S. intelligence assessment from one of the recently leaked secret documents, Ukraine's problems with the accumulation of troops, ammunition, and equipment could allegedly lead to its military falling "well short" of Kyiv's initial goals for the expected counteroffensive, the Washington Post reported on April 10.

Blinken: Ukraine’s success on battlefield quickest way to ‘just and durable peace’

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Fox News on May 2 that Washington knew Ukraine was contemplating a counteroffensive “in the coming weeks,” and it was monitoring the course of events.

Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk