MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mikhail Podolyak claimed that Kiev lags up to nine months behind the combat action schedule and blame Ukraine’s western partners for that.

"We lag six to nine months behind the schedule," he said in an interview for Ukrainian TV.

According to Podolyak, when Kiev started to actively ask for weapons and vehicles last fall, Western partners "were still too afraid to acknowledge that Ukraine had to be provided with everything it needed, fast."

He stated that the West must comprehend that it must "do everything at a maximum volume and maximum speed."

Previously, head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Kirill Budanov admitted that Ukrainian forces fell behind schedule of combat action.

"Budanov is completely right: if we agreed [with the partners] and received everything necessary in one month, it’s one story. If we agreed, but received it in eight months, that’s another story. Of course, we fell behind schedule," Podolyak added.

Ukrainian authorities often try to justify the failure of the counteroffensive that Kiev and Western had high hopes for. In particular, Ukrainian authorities repeatedly accused NATO of sending insufficient supplies, to which alliance officials responded that everything necessary had been shipped.