Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that the Russians want to surround the Ukrainian military in the Donbas, but Ukraine will be able to expel the occupiers from Ukraine if the partners provide long-range weapons.
Source: Reznikov in conversation with foreign journalists, video is published by the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Ukraynska Pravda reports.
Quote: “The Kremlin’s plan is to surround our troops in the joint forces operation zone. They will continue to bomb Mariupol and other cities”.
When asked whether Ukraine would be able to push Russian troops out of Donbas if it received long-range missiles and other offensive weapons, the minister said: “Yes. We will expel them from our country.”
He also said that about 10,000 Russian troops are currently located near Mariupol.
Commenting on Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba’s statements that the battle for Donbas will be reminiscent of the Second World War, Reznikov said, “A Joint Forces team is working in Donbas to drive the enemy out of our land. We are fighting, so it will be a very, very bloody thing”.
The Minister emphasised that Ukraine needed more long-range weapons.
