Ukraine's much-anticipated spring counteroffensive cannot begin until its western allies send more weapons and ammunition, President Zelensky has said.
In an interview with the Japanese publication The Yomiuri Shimbun on March 25, he said he "can't send our brave soldiers to the front" until the situation is resolved and more "tanks, artillery and Himars" had been provided.
Zelensky described the military situation in eastern Ukraine "not very good" and cited a lack of ammunition as the reason.
He added that Russian troops daily use about three times more ammunition than the Ukrainian army.
"We are waiting for the receipt of ammunition from our partner countries," he said, adding: "If there is political will, ways can be found to help us. We are at war and cannot wait."
Earlier this month and in contrasting comments, Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the presidential office, said the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are preparing for a counteroffensive, which will begin in about two months.
“We are not in a hurry, we will reorganize over the next two months. We will exhaust the Russians in Bakhmut and then focus elsewhere,” Podolyak said in an interview published today by the Italian newspaper La Stampa.
Russia had concentrated most of its trained military personnel in Bakhmut, along with the most combat-ready private military companies, he added.
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