Ukraine intends to regain battlefield momentum with the arrival of promised Western weapons, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday.
"As soon as the arms supplies arrive, we will stop their initiative," Zelensky said of Kiev's plan to halt the Russian advances in eastern Ukraine.
Zelensky made the remarks at a press conference with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Kiev. The event was abruptly ended after about 25 minutes due to the sounding of air raid sirens.
Before he left the microphone, however, Zelensky said the Russian military is currently gathering troops in the north and east of Ukraine in preparation for a major offensive.
Still, he said not everything is going as well for the Russians as they thought. "It's not that I'm trying to lift your spirits. This is the reality," Zelensky told the audience.
For her part, Metsola spoke of the difficult road that Ukraine still has to travel on its way to joining the European Union. However, the promise of membership made by the European Parliament would definitely be honoured, she said.
Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine more than two years ago. After a rapid advance by the Russians in the first few weeks, Kiev was later able to push back the troops sent from Moscow in some parts of the country.
In the meantime, however, the pendulum has swung back in the other direction - the Ukrainian military is having enormous problems with the supply of weapons, ammunition and soldiers amid daily Russian missile and drone attacks.
Russia occupies around a fifth of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014.