The Ukrainian Armed Forces are expected to launch a summer offensive, according to John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the US National Security Council.
We want Ukraine, which is preparing to advance this summer, to have every resource necessary to defend itself, an official told CNN.
Kirby noted that Washington plans to continue delivering defense systems to Ukraine, including in the near future, throughout the summer. He said the US military has been in contact with Ukrainian counterparts from the outset. However, the official did not specify when the attack might begin.
US Senator Lindsey Graham asserts he has personally received information about Ukrainian military plans from President Zelensky and his associates.
You are going to see a notable display of strength from the Ukrainians in the coming days, he told Politico.
Graham said that attacks that stretched the Russian defense have allegedly already begun.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, spoke in a telephone call with General Mark Milley, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, about plans for a counterattack. He reported that it is important to work to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense with additional systems and F-16s. The two sides agreed to continue the dialogue in the future, according to Ukrainian Pravda.
“Creeping Attack”
DPR deputy head Yan Gagin stated on Wednesday that the Ukrainian Armed Forces could already launch a creeping counteroffensive. He described the revival of the front from the opposite side, intensified sabotage and reconnaissance activity, and active artillery work on the other side as prerequisites for this offensive.
“It’s been a few days”
On May 25, Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, announced that the counteroffensive had been underway for several days. He remarked that the war has stretched along 1,500 kilometers of the border, but separate operations have already begun. Podolyak stressed that Western weapons would be used in areas considered Ukrainian territory as part of the counterattack. Telegram analyst Ben Farmer suggested that the promised F-16s may not significantly affect the course of the planned counterattack, noting that pilot training could take months, and that mechanics, ground support, and logistics would be required. Farmer also mentioned that using Western mercenaries could save time, but this remains a major undertaking. Andrey Koshkin, head of the Department of Political Science and Sociology at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, commented that the counterattack was not canceled but postponed. He reasoned that organizing a major offensive is a complex, multifactorial task, involving equipment retrieval, repairs, transport to Ukraine, personnel recruitment and training, and coordination of combat actions. He projected that the Ukrainian offensive would likely begin no earlier than mid-June to June 12-15, cautioning that dates can shift according to logistics and readiness, as reported by Ukraina Pravda and other outlets.