Ukraine's Foreign Minister advises not to consider upcoming counteroffensive as "decisive battle"
Ukraine should do everything possible to counter the narrative that the spring counteroffensive is a "make-or-break moment" in the war.
Source: Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, in an interview with the Financial Times
Quote: "We should counter by all means the perception of the counter-offensive as the decisive battle of the war."
Details: According to Kuleba, cited by the FT, the narrative of a make-or-break moment was dangerous for Ukraine because if it faltered, it would strengthen those in the west who want to push Kyiv into a compromise with Moscow.
All wars are a series of battles, he added, and if this offensive is seen as critical but does not result in the "100 per cent liberation of our territory" then "some people may say this was the last decisive battle and now we have to think of an alternative scenario".
The head of Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry emphasised that there is no alternative to the full restoration of territorial integrity.
Background:
- Oleksii Reznikov, the Defence Minister of Ukraine, has said that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is planning to conduct a counter-offensive on several fronts, but it all depends on the weather conditions. Reznikov believes this will happen in April or May.
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine cannot yet start a counteroffensive, which was planned for the spring, because now the defence forces need more weapons.
- Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defence, has urged Ukrainians to refrain from asking the military when the counteroffensive will take place so as not to distract them from their work.
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