MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. Ukraine does not have enough potential recruits to carry out an offensive operation, lawmaker Alexey Kucherenko said.

The politician made the comment following a story in the Washington Post that said US President Donald Trump urged Vladimir Zelensky in a phone call to go on an offensive.

"An offensive means one needs to have an appropriate human potential and mobilization reserve, which is not there," he told Ukrainian television host Lana Shevchuk, according to a video of the interview posted to YouTube.

The Washington Post reported that in a phone call with Zelensky on July 4, Trump allegedly said that by being on the defensive, Ukraine would not be able to change the situation on the battlefield, so Ukrainian forces should go on the offensive. The White House has not commented on the report yet. However, the White House said on July 15 that Trump did not encourage Zelensky to strike deeper inside Russia, including Moscow.

The Ukrainian news outlet Strana also reported that the Ukrainian military does not have enough resources to go on the offensive and expressed doubts that the US could have nudged Kiev toward such course of action.