«We Cannot Imagine Ukraine Without Crimea»: Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in an interview with CNN that he does not abandon plans to reclaim Crimea, despite the challenges associated with Ukraine's counteroffensive. This is reported by Ria.ru.

“We cannot imagine Ukraine without Crimea. And as long as Crimea is occupied by Russia, it means one thing: the war is not over yet,” Zelensky said.

At the same time, when asked whether he allows for any scenario of peaceful resolution that would not involve the return of control over Crimea to Kyiv, Zelensky replied that “in this case, it would not be a victory.”

Earlier, the American publication New York Times reported that Ukrainian soldiers acknowledged the “slow progress” of Ukraine's offensive and the strong defense of the Russian armed forces. Respondents believe that Ukrainian media present an overly optimistic picture of the situation at the front for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Zelensky himself admitted in an interview with British media that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is progressing more slowly than they would like.