Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said that a counteroffensive by his country’s armed forces could begin in the summer. on this he said In an interview with The Hill.
“We have proven time and time again that we can do this. We are asking our international partners for additional military capabilities such as tanks, ammunition, aircraft, armored vehicles,” he said.
Shmyhal noted that Ukraine did not feel pressure from its partners, as they understood that to launch a counterattack “you need to be 100 percent ready and even more prepared”.
The Ukrainian army “needs more artillery, ammunition, more medium and long-range missiles, we need tanks and we will need warplanes,” he said.
The Hill writes that Shmyhal came to Washington to attend, among other things, the spring meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee and the Joint Development Committee of the IMF and World Bank. On it, he plans to provide further economic support for Ukraine.
Shortly before that, he visited Canada, where he met his Canadian colleague Justin Trudeau. Shmyhal flew into the meeting in an airplane with a fighter jet emoji on his body, a Ukrainian flag, and praying hands.
As a result of the meeting between Shmyhal and Trudeau, it was decided that Ottawa would send a new military aid package to Kiev. According to TASS, machine guns will include machine guns and cartridges. Also, the prime minister of Ukraine asked Canada to expand its mission to train the Ukrainian army in accordance with NATO standards.
Versions of the counterattack
Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC), said in an interview with the German television channel ARD on April 11 that the leak of secret Pentagon materials will not affect Kiev’s military strategy.
He especially had plans for a possible counterattack in mind. Danilov stressed that the decision to start would be made “at the last moment”.
“If anyone thinks we only have a choice [плана действий]then it has nothing to do with reality. Even three options are not enough. <…> “The other piece of information is, if it’s really classified, then US and UK officials will know exactly where it came from and why it’s coming out now,” he said.
Danilov pointed out that some information about Kiev’s plans, which was leaked to the network along with other documents of the US defense ministry, is on the network and is not a secret.
On April 7, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Ukraine would launch a counterattack in the coming weeks.
“The United States, along with many other countries, has pledged to support Ukraine and defend its territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. “This includes a counterattack that is likely to begin in the coming weeks,” he said.
The fact that the USA expects the “spring counterattack” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the coming weeks was also announced on April 3 by Julian Smith, the permanent representative of the USA to NATO. He said this on the eve of the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Kommersant states that Western countries, waiting for the actions of the Ukrainian army, have increased their arms supply to Kiev. Germany and Britain sent the promised tanks to Ukraine, and France doubled its supply of 155 mm shells.
On March 29, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said in an interview with the ERR that the counterattack was planned to be carried out in several directions.
“Which moment is best, how [Генштаб] to make a decision. It also depends on weather conditions. In the spring our soil is very wet. “I think we will see an attack in April-May,” he says.
Active offensive actions from Ukraine are expected in the Federation Council from May to October. This opinion was expressed on April 7 by Viktor Bondarev, chairman of the Committee on defense and security of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation.
He believes it is during this period that Western technology “can be at least somewhat effective”. For now, Ukraine is waiting, because the weapons supplied by the partners to the Ukrainian Armed Forces are not suitable for fighting in uncomfortable conditions during mudslides.
According to him, Russia is ready for any challenge from the enemy.
“We cannot frighten and be forced into a world unfavorable for Russia on the terms of Ukraine. The enemy will be defeated, we will win, and we will dictate the terms of peace for the safety, happiness and health of our citizens.
On the same day, the Kremlin announced that the Russian army carefully monitors the information about the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and takes this into account when planning a special operation in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the founder of Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that Kiev is training 200 to 400 thousand personnel and that “this cannot be taken lightly”.