Ukrainian Foreign Minister Responds to Claims of Army Counteroffensive Failure

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba disagrees with claims that the Ukrainian army's counteroffensive has failed, urging analysts to exercise caution in their forecasts. The minister made this statement in an interview with Die Welt newspaper, as cited by RBC.

Earlier, the influential American publication The Washington Post reported, citing intelligence sources, that Kyiv would not succeed in reaching Melitopol and cutting off the land route to Crimea. Meanwhile, U.S. House Representative Andy Harris stated that the Ukrainian forces' counteroffensive has failed, and it is now essential to convince Kyiv to begin peace negotiations.

The minister noted that, according to "anonymous officials, generals, and analysts," Ukraine should have ceased to exist back in February 2022, "within three to ten days." In an interview with the German publication Bild, Kuleba said that Kyiv remains calm regarding such expressions.

"I want to say that analysts need to be more cautious with their forecasts and long-term predictions. We do not need to prove anything," said Kuleba, commenting on the skeptical assessments regarding the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Kyiv has repeatedly acknowledged that the counteroffensive is progressing slowly, with Kuleba highlighting Russia's "strong defensive positions" as the main challenge.