The counter-offensive did not go smoothly.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that the long-anticipated counterattack against Russian forces had not produced the expected results. But amid mounting casualties, Zelensky said he would not negotiate peace with Moscow.

"Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. But things are not going that way," Mr. Zelensky told the BBC on June 21, admitting that the Ukrainian army's advances were "slower than expected".

"No matter what some people want, including attempts to put pressure on us, we will still advance on the battlefield in the way we can do best," Mr. Zelensky said.

Ukrainian President: Counteroffensive campaign not going smoothly - 1 — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Photo: Newsweek)

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian counteroffensive began on June 4 but failed to attack Russian positions near the Donetsk region. Successive attacks followed across the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions but were all defeated by the Russian army.

Hundreds of Western armored vehicles and tanks sent to Ukraine were also destroyed in the attacks, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

While Mr Zelensky told the BBC that Ukrainian forces had captured eight villages along the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia frontlines, the Russian Defence Ministry said the Ukrainian army had not yet broken through the first layer of Russia's first line of defence.

With trenches, minefields and fortifications lining the front line and Russian artillery and air support controlling the skies, Ukraine has lost 30 percent of its Western-supplied tanks and armored vehicles, according to a Kremlin report last week.

President Zelensky is said to be under pressure to achieve a breakthrough victory on the battlefield to consolidate support from Western countries and he admitted that "victories on the battlefield are necessary" to resolve the conflict in Kiev's favor.

However, Mr. Zelensky said that "no matter how far we advance in this counteroffensive, we will not agree to a frozen conflict because that is a development that has no future for Ukraine."

President Zelensky has repeatedly vowed to push Russian troops back from four Moscow regions annexed last year after referendums: Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye. He has also vowed to take back Crimea.

Meanwhile, the US, UK and other NATO countries support Mr Zelensky's stance of refusing to "freeze" the conflict, but many also admit that the Ukrainian army has no hope of attacking Crimea.

"Behind the scenes, many Western military analysts are deeply skeptical about the success of Ukraine's operation. Although I won't go into details, I can say that the tasks announced by the Kiev government are considered impossible by foreign experts," said Sergey Naryshkin, director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

Tra Khanh (Source: russian.rt.com)

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