Kuleba did not answer the question about whether the counteroffensive had begun.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said that Armed Forces enough weapons to launch a counteroffensive, and this operation will give the country the victory it needs to join NATO, he said in an interview Reuters.
Membership in the Alliance will probably become possible only after the end of active hostilities, the minister added.
Kuleba did not answer the question about whether the counteroffensive had begun. However, he emphasized that the most important thing is not when the counteroffensive will begin, but that it ended with the victory of the Ukrainians.
“We have (already) unlocked all weapons… Membership in NATO cannot stop this war, but membership in NATO will stop further wars. Therefore, the best way to ensure security in the region is to arrive at the moment when Ukraine becomes a member of NATO,” he said Kuleba
The counteroffensive of the Armed Forces is the main thing
The day before, the Ministry of Defense announced about the start of offensive actions in the East. According to Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar, as of June 5, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have advanced another 1.5 km near Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces occupied the commanding heights in the south of Bakhmut, as a result of which the Russians were forced to go on the defensive.
It should be noted that the counterattacks of the Armed Forces in the direction of Bakhmut have been going on since Maythe defenders press the flanks of the occupiers in the city.
At the same time, the General Staff refutes the “dismissals” of the enemy IPSO about the alleged beginning of a counteroffensive in the south and other directions.
On May 5, US General Mark Milley said, that Ukraine is “well prepared” to the expected counterattack. Prior to that, the Ukrainian side, in particular President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, claimed that there were still not enough of these weapons for active hostilities.
At the same time, according to Milli, the tanks are needed to push Russian troops out of Ukraine, and the F-16 fighters will be part of a long-term plan to deter future attacks.
According to the summary of the General Staff, all attacks by the occupiers in the Bakhmut, Lyman and other directions were repelled.