Zelenskyy declares Ukraine's readiness for counteroffensive against Russia

MOSCOW (AA) - The Ukrainian armed forces are now ready to launch a counteroffensive, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.

"I do not know how long it will take (to launch an offensive). To be honest, it can go in different ways, completely different ways. But we intend to do it, and we are ready," he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

He added that this counteroffensive might "cost Ukraine dearly."

Asked about his hopes Ukraine will join NATO, Zelenskyy said that if Kyiv is not given a signal that it will become a member of the alliance, then it will not be represented at the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital this July.

"If we are not given a signal in Vilnius, I believe that there is no point for Ukraine to be at the summit," he stressed.

A possible counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops has been discussed in the media for several months, with various dates being speculated on.

The head of the paramilitary Wagner Group earlier said that the counteroffensive had already started, taking into account drone and artillery attacks on Russia's border regions and even the capital Moscow, though Ukraine has denied it was responsible for at least some of those attacks.