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Ukraine’s counteroffensive progressing 'slower than desired', admits Zelensky

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian forces have been making unsuccessful offensive attempts since June 4, suffering losses in manpower and hardware

LONDON, June 21./TASS/.The Ukrainian armed forces’ progress on the battlefield is going "slower than desired," yet Kiev is not ready for talks with Russia on ending the conflict, President Vladimir Zelensky said in an interview with the BBC on Wednesday.

"Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It’s not," the Ukrainian president said. "Whatever some might want, including attempts to pressure us, with all due respect, we will advance on the battlefield the way we deem best," he stressed.

Ukraine will not agree to negotiate with Russia as long as Russian troops are on Ukrainian territory, the president added. "No matter how far we advance in our counter-offensive, we will not agree to a frozen conflict because that is war, that is a prospectless development for Ukraine," he said.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian forces have been making unsuccessful offensive attempts since June 4, suffering losses in manpower and hardware. According to the ministry, Ukrainian forces have suffered around 7,500 casualties in their attempts to attack in the South Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Donetsk areas. President Vladimir Putin also stressed that the Ukrainian armed forces had not achieved success in any direction.