Kyiv accepts counteroffensive is not advancing quickly

Ukraine acknowledged on Friday its troops were advancing “not so quickly” in a counteroffensive to recapture territory in the east and south of the country from Russian forces.

The head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andriy Yermak, told reporters that the battles were difficult but said western allies were not putting pressure on Kyiv to advance faster, AFP reports.

Today it’s advancing not so quickly. If we are going to see that something is going wrong, we’ll say so. No one is going to embellish.

There is no pressure, just a question: how can we help you further?

It’s clear that our successes on the battlefield influence everything that is happening.

At a meeting with Ukrainian armed forces leadership on Friday, “the president informed the military that this is important”, Yermak said.

Kyiv would not negotiate with Russia until it withdrew its troops from Ukraine, he added.

“Even thinking about these talks is only possible after Russian troops leave our territory,” he said.