WASHINGTON, Jul 13 The Ukrainian counteroffensive is slower than the United States would like, General Douglas Sims, director of operations at the Pentagon's Joint Staff, said.
«It may not go as fast as we would like,» he told reporters.
Sims added that the Ukrainian troops have to fight «quite severe battles.»
The counter-offensive, which was talked about for a long time in Kyiv, began on June 4 in the Yuzhnodonetsk, Zaporozhye and Artemivsk directions, with the main attack of the Armed Forces of Ukraine concentrated on the Zaporozhye sector of the front. Kyiv threw into battle brigades trained by NATO specialists and armed with Western equipment. As Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated on Tuesday, the enemy has not achieved its goals in any direction.
Western media have previously noted that the Ukrainian military faced many problems during the counteroffensive. Thus, the American newspaper The New York Times, citing experts, wrote that Russian artillery and aviation do not allow Kyiv to cover its forces with air defense. A later publication noted that Moscow's actions had turned Kyiv's «offensive» into a slow and bloody tedious job. In turn, CNN reported that the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine showed not such a noticeable success as the Western allies of Ukraine expected, while the Russian forces show competence exceeding their expectations.