WASHINGTON, June 9. /TASS/. Western countries have done their utmost to prepare Ukraine for its counteroffensive, so Washington is optimistic, US President Joe Biden said on Thursday at a press conference with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

"Let me begin by answering the question. First of all, the Ukrainians should speak to the military operations. I won’t do that from here. We’ve done everything we could collectively, much individually in the United States, to make them ready, the support is going to continue," the US president said when asked by a reporter whether military assistance to Kiev would be continued in light of the counteroffensive launched by Ukraine.

Biden added that in the evolving situation "we’re very optimistic in talks with the Ukrainians and Ukrainians."

The US president emphasized that the US and its allies intend to provide assistance to Kiev in ensuring "long-term security."

"We’re advancing this goal by providing them support Ukraine needs now on the battlefield, and helping them strengthen their military over the long term," Biden added.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported earlier that since June 4 Ukrainian forces had been making unsuccessful attempts to advance, suffering losses in manpower and hardware.