KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in remarks broadcast Thursday that Kyiv is delaying its against Russia鈥檚 occupying forces because Ukraine lacks enough Western weapons to succeed without suffering too many casualties.
His remarks, in an interview with European broadcasters, were aired shortly before Britain said it has sent Ukraine air-launched cruise missiles that would allow pilots to extend their reach farther than possibly any other weapon in their arsenal, to locations deep behind the front line.
A Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia鈥檚 more than 14-month-old invasion has been expected since warmer weather improved battlefield conditions, and Zelenskyy said it's possible that "we can go forward and be successful,鈥� the BBC reported.
鈥淏ut we鈥檇 lose a lot of people. I think that鈥檚 unacceptable,鈥� he was quoted as saying in the interview, conducted in Kyiv with public service broadcasters who are members of Eurovision News, including the BBC.
鈥淪o we need to wait. We still need a bit more time,鈥� Zelenskyy was quoted as saying. 鈥淚n terms of equipment, not everything has arrived yet.鈥�
Analysts and Ukrainian officials have talked for months of a coming Ukrainian counterpunch. Zelenskyy鈥檚 remarks could be designed to keep the Russians guessing, with more uncertainty because both sides are struggling to secure enough ammunition.
Ukraine's troops are receiving Western training, as well as advanced weapons, as it gears up for such an assault.
Later Thursday, U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told lawmakers it sent Ukraine the Storm Shadow missiles, a conventionally armed weapon with a range of more than 250 kilometers (150 miles). By contrast, the truck-mounted HIMARS launchers that Washington has supplied feature GPS-guided missiles capable of hitting targets up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) away.
Wallace said the cruise missiles 鈥渁re now going into or are in the country itself,鈥� but didn鈥檛 say how many were provided.
The air-launched missiles would allow Ukrainian forces to target locations such as Russia-occupied Crimea. Kyiv has pledged not to use them to attack Russia itself, U.K. media reported. The U.S. and its allies have expressed concern that enabling Ukraine to use their weapons to hit targets inside Russia could provoke the Kremlin to escalate the war.
The British delivery adds to the and that Western countries have already supplied to Ukraine.
Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe, tweeted: 鈥淲ell done UK!鈥�
鈥淭his will give Ukraine capability to make Crimea untenable for Russian forces鈥� and require Russia to reevaluate the positioning of its Black Sea fleet, Hodges said.
Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow at London鈥檚 Royal United Services Institute, said the Storm Shadow missiles could allow Ukraine to strike Russian vessels in its Black Sea headquarters port of Sevastopol, from which Moscow's Kalibr missiles "have been used to target crucial Ukrainian infrastructure.鈥�
Patrick Bury, senior lecturer in security at the University of Bath, wasn鈥檛 surprised at Zelenskyy's comments about delaying the spring campaign.
鈥淚f you are Zelenskyy, you are doing everything you can to make sure you get everything you need鈥� before launching the offensive, he said.
鈥淥n the other hand, I would not be surprised at all if it started in the next couple of weeks, depending on the mud. ... As of last week it was still one of the wettest springs they鈥檝e had over there in years. 鈥� It鈥檚 just not favorable,鈥� Bury added.
A Ukrainian military claim Wednesday that its troops had advanced up to 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) around the hotly contested eastern city of Bakhmut fueled speculation that the counteroffensive was underway.
Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesman for Ukraine鈥檚 Operational Command East, told The Associated Press that the fighting and forward movement was not the 鈥済rand counteroffensive, but it鈥檚 a harbinger showing that there will be more such attacks in the future.鈥�
But Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia鈥檚 that has spearheaded Moscow's battle for Bakhmut, claimed Kyiv's counteroffensive was 鈥渋n full swing,鈥� with Ukrainian forces advancing 鈥渙n the flanks鈥� around the city.
鈥淯nfortunately, in some areas they鈥檙e doing it successfully,鈥� Prigozhin said.
Kremlin forces are deeply entrenched in eastern Ukraine with layered defensive lines reportedly up to 20 kilometers (12 miles) deep. Kyiv's counteroffensive would likely face minefields, anti-tank ditches and other obstacles.
Russia is 鈥渁cting slow鈥� in Ukraine because it wants to preserve infrastructure and save lives there, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Bosnian Serb channel ATV on Wednesday night.
Moscow has repeatedly explained its lack of advances on the battlefield as an effort to protect civilians, but those claims have been proven false, with frequent attacks on civilian buildings.
Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to reduce the war to a so-called frozen conflict, with neither side able to dislodge the other, according to the BBC. He ruled out surrendering territory to Russia in return for a peace deal.
The Kremlin wants Kyiv to acknowledge Russian sovereignty over Crimea and to recognize September鈥檚 illegal annexation of the provinces of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine has rejected the demands and ruled out any talks with Russia until its troops withdraw from all occupied territories.
Military analysts have warned that Putin hopes the West鈥檚 costly support for Kyiv will fray.
Ukraine鈥檚 Western allies have ($70 billion) in military aid, and with no peace talks on the horizon, the alliance is gearing up to send more.
European Union Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said delaying a counteroffensive was a sign that the West must step up its military support for Ukraine.
鈥淐ertainly, they need more preparation,鈥� Borrell said at a defense and security conference in Brussels. 鈥淭hey need more arms. They need to gather more capacity, and it is us who have to provide for that.鈥�
Russia also is seeking more weapons and ammunition. of providing weapons and ammunition to Russia via a cargo ship that docked secretly at a naval base near Cape Town in December. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said an investigation was underway.
Over the winter, the Ukraine conflict became bogged down in a war of attrition, with both sides relying heavily on bombarding each other鈥檚 positions.
A counteroffensive is a major challenge, requiring the Ukrainian military to orchestrate a wide range of capabilities, including providing ammunition, food, medical supplies and spare parts, along potentially extended supply lines. The front line extends more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles).
Zelenskyy has been making the rounds of Western capitals to seek more support. As part of that effort, at the Vatican this weekend, a Vatican official said Thursday. Francis recently revealed a secret peace 鈥渕ission鈥� but provided no details. Zelenskyy was expected in Germany starting Saturday evening. Italian media, citing unidentified sources, reported that Zelenskyy might be in Rome earlier that day to meet with Premier Giorgia Meloni and the pope.
A Vatican official said an audience with the pope on Saturday 鈥渋s a possibility.鈥� The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the visit was not confirmed.
Russia鈥檚 latest long-range barrages killed at least six civilians and wounded 13 others, Ukraine鈥檚 presidential office said.
In other developments, a Ukrainian drone damaged a fuel storage tank across the Russian border in Bryansk, the region鈥檚 governor reported on Telegram. In Ukraine鈥檚 Russian-occupied city of Melitopol, meanwhile, Russian-appointed authorities reported an assassination attempt against a judge. The authorities didn鈥檛 report how the attack occurred, saying only that the judge wasn鈥檛 injured, but two of his guards were. Ukraine didn鈥檛 comment on either attack.
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Lawless reported from London. Lorne Cook in Brussels, Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa, and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed.
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Susie Blann And Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
