President Volodymyr Zelensky hinted that the Armed Forces have almost enough means and weapons to launch an offensive and that he needs a few more visits to allied countries, reports Ukrainian Pravda.

The Supreme Commander was asked whether the Ukrainian army has enough weapons in view of the recently announced military aid packages and whether Ukraine can start advancing on the front.

Zelensky briefly replied that he still needs several visits to European capitals.

“A few more visits and that’s it.”

After that, Zelensky smiled, and Scholz wished him success.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is expected in Paris on Sunday evening after his visits to Rome on Saturday and Germany on Sunday, sources told AFP.

This is the second visit of the Ukrainian head of state to Paris since the beginning of the Russian offensive on his country in February 2022. Emmanuel Macron already hosted him on February 8 at the Elysee Palace together with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

When asked about this new visit, Elisha neither confirmed nor denied.

Traveling to Germany on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the military support of Germany, which he described as a “true friend” and a “reliable ally” after announcing new arms shipments to support a counteroffensive against Russia.

On Sunday morning, Volodymyr Zelenskyi was received with military honors by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

New lobby for modern fighters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on Sunday from Berlin denied an attack on Russian territory after five Russian landing party planes were shot down on Saturday. In addition, his statement was made after information appeared in the American press that the Ukrainian president was planning attacks inside Russia. On the other hand, Zelenskyi’s assurances would be an attempt to appease Western allies and convince them to provide Kyiv with modern fighter jets.

“We are currently working on creating a coalition for fighter jets,” Volodymyr Zelenskyi said. “I will ask Germany to support Ukraine in this coalition as well,” he added at a joint press conference with the Chancellor of Germany, given that Berlin has so far refused to supply planes directly to Ukraine.

Before his visit to Berlin, the Ukrainian president was received by Pope Francis and the leaders of Italy in Rome on Saturday.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday in Rome that the results of the imminent counteroffensive to retake the territories captured by Russia will be visible in the near future, but he did not want to give details of the operation, as it “will not help Ukraine.” .

The President of the Czech Republic and former NATO general Petr Pavel, who emphasized that Kyiv will eventually receive Western fighter jets, reports Reuters.

Pavel, who led the Czech army and was also the chief military adviser to NATO’s secretary general from 2015 to 2018, said Ukraine would eventually get the Western fighter jets it had been asking for, but that they could not be delivered on time. the coming offensive and there were higher priorities such as ammunition.

On Saturday, Germany announced 2.7 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine, the largest such package since the Russian invasion, and pledged additional support to Kiev as needed.

Leopard, Marder and Cheetah tanks

According to the Ministry of Defense, the package will include 30 Leopard 1 tanks, 15 Gepard tanks, more than 200 reconnaissance drones and four Iris-T anti-aircraft systems. Saturday’s German package also included 18 howitzers. The package also includes 20 additional Marder armored vehicles, as well as more than 100 other smaller armored vehicles, according to AFP.

According to the weekly Der Spiegel, this is the largest package of weapons sent by Berlin to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

Plans for a counteroffensive await Zelenskyi’s green light

This European tour comes amid preparations for an offensive by the Ukrainian military, as Kyiv and Moscow claim success in and around Bakhmut.

Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said on Tuesday that the final plans for Ukraine’s counteroffensive have not yet been approved by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the country.

• “The office of the Commander-in-Chief, the President of our country, is responsible for the final decision on dates and destinations. [contraofensivei]. When people start talking, even people in respected Western institutions, believe me: there are no people who know the full extent of our plans. Because the final plans have not been approved yet.
• We have several options [pentru contraofensivă]. All are considered. Decisions will be made based on the circumstances prevailing at any given time. You don’t have to expect – or not expect – anything.
• We have already proven that we are an invincible nation, and we will definitely prove it [învinge]. Mostly thanks to the help of our partners,” said Danilov.

At the beginning of April, Oleksiy Danilov said that no more than five people on the planet have information about where and when the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will begin.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said Ukraine’s offensive may not be “decisive” in an attempt to play down expectations of the return of Russian-held territories in Ukraine, stressing it was “not a Hollywood movie.”

A source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi told CNN in April that Ukraine had changed some of its military plans following the leak of dozens of Pentagon documents.

Storm Shadow and Advancement in Bakhmut

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that Ukrainian jets struck two industrial facilities in the Russian-controlled city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine with Britain-supplied Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles.

Britain on Thursday became the first country to say it had started supplying Kiev with long-range cruise missiles that will allow it to hit Russian troops and supply depots far behind the front lines as it prepares a major counteroffensive.

The Storm Shadow is a long-range, stealth-capable cruise missile jointly developed by the UK and France that is normally air-launched.

It has a range of more than 250 km, which is slightly less than the 300 km of the US military’s land-based tactical missile systems (ATACMS), which Ukraine has long demanded.

Despite Russia’s claims that Ukraine made “massive” unsuccessful attempts to break through the defenses in Bakhmut in the last 24 hours, Kyiv forces regained about 17 square kilometers of territory in three days, reports the US Institute for Study. war

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Five in one frame. Kyiv confirms the downing of the landing group, but adds: three helicopters and two Russian planes were allegedly shot down by the Russians