Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admits that the counter-offensive is going slower than desired.
In an interview in the British BBC, he says that the offensive has been difficult because of all the mines that Russia has deployed.
– Some people think this is a Hollywood movie and expect quick results. It is not, he tells the BBC’s reporter.
– People’s lives are at stake, he adds.
According to the Ukrainian government, the counteroffensive has so far resulted in the recapture of eight villages in the southern part of the country, in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya counties.
– Regardless of what some people think – and that includes, with all due respect, all forms of pressure – we will advance on the battlefield in the way we think is best, he says.
President Zelenskyi also emphasizes Ukraine’s need for security guarantees from NATO, at a time when it does not look like the country will be invited to the defense alliance’s summit in Vilnius in July.