MOSCOW, June 16. /TASS/. Ukrainian troops are meeting very tough Russian resistance along the line of contact, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said in an interview to NBC, published on Thursday.

"Our troops on the front line are facing very tough resistance," he said in an excerpt from the interview, published on NBC’s website.

In the Ukrainian president's opinion, the current phase of military action will be decisive for the outcome of Russia’s special operation.

When asked about prospects for deliveries of US-made F-16 fighter jets, Zelensky said that their arrival had been delayed by bureaucratic issues.

"I understand that there is bureaucracy," Zelensky said. "But we are losing time, we are losing people, and, the most important thing, we are losing our advantage."

"Russia is controlling the air," he continued. "Ukraine wants to be able to compete in the air — let us do it today."

As the Russian Defense Ministry reported, Ukrainian troops have been making unsuccessful attempts at mounting an offensive since June 4, suffering losses in manpower and equipment. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on June 6 that, over three days, Russian forces repulsed all Ukrainian attempts at executing the "long-promised offensive," with losses on the Ukrainian side amounting to 3,715 people. Russian President Vladimir Putin also pointed out that the Ukrainian forces had not seen any success in any area. As follows from data reported by Bloomberg, the West acknowledges significant Ukrainian losses in manpower and equipment. At the same time, Politico quoted Biden administration officials as saying that further assistance to Kiev will depend on the success of the counteroffensive.