Ukraine is preparing carefully for a new counter-offensive against Russian forces because the assault is “very important” and must “prove success”, the prime minister said.
Denys Shmyhal told Sky News the long-awaited operation would only be launched when the time is right, but gave no indication of when that might be.
With the Russian President Vladimir Poutine On Tuesday, commemorating Victory Day – marking the Soviet Union’s defeat against Nazi Germany in World War II – Ukraine’s prime minister said the most important day for Kyiv would be the defeat of the Russian invasion.
Last war in Ukraine – Russian army “blackmailed and humiliated”
“I am sure that the most important day of victory for Ukraine will be the day of victory over this terrible Russian aggression – a large-scale aggression – against Ukraine,” he said during a trip to the UK to attend the coronation of King Charles.
Mr Shmyhal traveled to a British military training area on Salisbury Plain to watch British and New Zealand troops help train Ukrainian recruits as part of a British-led assistance program for turn thousands of Ukrainian civilians into soldiers.
Asked if some of the recruits learning shooting and other techniques would be part of the counter-offensive upon their return to Ukraine, the Prime Minister, speaking in English, said: “At this training base, our future soldiers – boys and girls – are … having all the special knowledge and experiences, practical experiences, for the battlefield.”
As to why the Ukrainian army took so long to officially launch its offensive, Shmyhal said: “We are preparing very carefully because it is a very important operation and we understand that we have to demonstrate the success of this operation to our company, to our partners, to the whole world [and] to our enemy.”
Please use Chrome browser for more accessible video player
Drones shot down over Kyiv
Learn more:
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visits US for talks on Ukraine
A possible “spelling error” in the invitation to the coronation of Olena Zelenska
During last Friday’s visit, he said troops were preparing for the operation, with training, weapons and ammunition. Moreover, Ukraine was working closely with its partners.
“We will begin… when [it] the time has come, when it is absolutely ready … we will begin the counter-offensive immediately when our military and political leaders have made the decision.”
The prime minister reiterated his president’s denials that Ukraine had anything to do with a drone attack on the Kremlin in Moscow last week that Russian officials say was aimed at killing Mr Putin.
Mr Shmyhal said instead it looked like it was probably some sort of “false flag” operation.
“We think it’s mostly false flag, but we don’t have any more data,” he said. “This is not a Ukrainian operation.”
