Updated 02:24 | Published at 2:19 am
Ukraine’s military chief Valery Zaluzhny is frustrated by slow deliveries of the promised weapons from allies in the West. He says so in an interview with The Washington Post on Friday.
According to Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s counteroffensive is hampered by a lack of adequate weapons, ranging from modern fighter jets to artillery ammunition.
He says it “pisses him off” that some in the West complain that Ukraine’s offensive against the Russian-occupied areas in the south is slow and not making enough progress – but they themselves would not launch an offensive without controlling the airspace, he claims.
Ukraine is still waiting for the US F-16 planes promised by the country’s allies.
– I don’t need 120 planes. I will not threaten the whole world. I only need a small number, says Zaluzjny.
US military chief Mark Milley later said in a speech in Washington that the US and Ukraine’s other friends in the West are working hard to support Ukraine. He admits that some have expressed impatience regarding the offensive.
– Okay, it’s going a little slowly, but that’s part of the nature of war, says Milley.