The US believes Ukraine’s long-planned counteroffensive against Russian troops will ultimately allow Kiev to recover some lost ground, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Sunday.
Speaking to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Sullivan was confident that Ukraine would recapture “strategically significant territory.”
“Exactly how much, in what places, that will be up to developments on the ground as the Ukrainians get this counteroffensive underway,” the official said.
“But we believe that the Ukrainians will meet with success in this counteroffensive.”
Sullivan claimed that the outcome of the operation would have a “major impact” on future negotiations.
Hours after Sullivan’s remarks were aired, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces had launched “a large-scale offensive” on defensive lines in Donbass, but had been repelled and had suffered heavy losses.
Ukrainian officials have sent mixed signals in recent weeks regarding their preparations for a much-touted effort to push back Russian forces.
President Vladimir Zelensky claimed on Saturday that the army was ready for a counteroffensive. However, his deputy chief of staff, Igor Zhovkva, said the same day that Kiev had still not accumulated enough weapons for a successful offensive campaign.