Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday attacked critics of Kyiv’s tactics in its counteroffensive against Russian troops, saying they were spitting in the face of Ukrainian soldiers and should “shut up,” Reuters reported.

“Screaming slow pace (of the counteroffensive) is the same as… spitting in the face of (Ukrainian soldiers) who sacrifice their lives every day, move forward and liberate kilometer after kilometer of Ukrainian land,” Kuleba told mass media. at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain.

“I recommend to all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to free a square centimeter on your own,” Kuleba said, standing next to Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez.

Last week, the New York Times published an article in which US and other Western officials said the offensive had made limited progress because Ukraine had too many troops in the wrong places.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CNN that it is now “even more important” to support Ukraine as its forces advance into well-fortified territory controlled by Russia.

“This is an uphill battle and there is no easy way to victory,” he said. However, Ukrainian troops are “gradually regaining positions” and are able to repel Russian forces, Stoltenberg continued.

“We have seen that the Ukrainians have exceeded expectations again and again,” the NATO leader added, referring to the liberation of Russian-controlled areas around Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson last year.

The video and other information that appeared on social networks show that the Ukrainian army has entered the approaches to the city of Verbove in the Zaporizhzhia region, from where it is trying to bypass the Russian garrison that protects the road to Melitopol – Kyiv’s main task. offensive.

Ukrainian troops on this part of the front managed to quickly advance 2.7 kilometers after liberating the village of Robotyne earlier this week, bypassing the “dragon’s teeth” installed by the Russian army to slow down the advance of armored vehicles.