BERLIN, May 10. /TASS/. Kiev may launch another attempt, if its expected counteroffensive fails, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said in an interview with the German newspaper Bild published on Wednesday.
"Do not consider this counteroffensive as the last one because we do not know what will come out of this," Kuleba said. If Kiev’s counteroffensive fails, "this means that there must be preparations for the next counteroffensive," Kuleba said.
The Ukrainian foreign minister again demanded that Berlin step up military aid for Ukraine. "Weapons, weapons and once again weapons are needed to win in the war. Germany has plenty of them and much depends on Germany," he added.
"The power of German diplomacy should also not be underestimated," the Ukrainian foreign minister said.
Kiev’s anticipated counteroffensive has been speculated in the media over the past few months, with various dates mentioned. Military experts point out that Ukrainian troops are already probing Russian defenses in various areas. The Ukrainian authorities expect their Western allies to supply more weapons, if Kiev’s anticipated counteroffensive crowns with success. However, Kiev admits that the West may have too high expectations from the Ukrainian army’s possible successes.
As Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov told The Washington Post, this may lead to disappointment. According to the paper, Kiev is trying to lower the West’s expectations, fearing that the outcome of the counteroffensive may fail to turn the tide of the war.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has stated that Kiev’s anticipated counteroffensive openly discussed by Western countries confirm that they are directly involved in the conflict.