— Washington Sunday, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, said that Ukraine’s armed forces will liberate the entire country from Russian control as they continue their counteroffensive in the east to retake Russian-held territory.
“Always bear in mind that Russia can still cause significant damage. Markarova stated in an interview on “Face the Nation” that “we have no other alternative but to move forward.”” “As we mentioned previously, we will not surrender. And we will liberate the entire Ukraine, as this is what we must do not just to restore our territorial integrity but also to save all of our occupied people.”
General Valerii Zaluzhnyy, the military chief of Ukraine, stated on Sunday that Ukrainian forces have liberated more than 2,800 square kilometers since the beginning of September, forcing Russian troops to retreat from the northeastern Kharkiv region.
Saturday, in a video message to the nation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, “The Russian army is currently doing the best it can by turning its back.”
Markarova attributed the success of the counteroffensive thus far to the “determination of the military forces” and the “dedication to triumph” of Ukraine’s commanders, especially Zelenskyy. She also stated that the military assistance from international allies was important.
President Biden announced at the end of last month a nearly $3 billion security package from the United States to Ukraine, allowing the country to obtain air defense and artillery systems, ammunition, radar systems, and counter-unmanned aircraft weapons to guard against Russian aggression. Additionally, the Biden administration pledged last week an additional $2.8 billion in military support, including $2.2 billion in military finance for Ukraine and 18 of its neighbors.
She stated, “Of course, we would like to free the entire Ukraine as quickly as possible to end the suffering of the people and restore our sovereignty.” “However, regardless of whether it will be doable by the end of the year, we are prepared to accomplish it before the end of the year, and we hope to have all the necessary resources.”
Markarova emphasized that Kyiv has no complaints regarding the timeliness of weapon supplies to Ukrainian forces and stated that the most recent foreign funding is “not only what we need now, but also what we will need in the coming months and years to be able to protect ourselves.”
Sunday was the 200th day of Russia’s war with Ukraine, and Markarova stated that ending the attack will help not just the Ukrainian people, but also European nations.
The warfare “Because the Russians are not the only ones assaulting us, we would prefer for it to be shorter. They are attacking Europe, the energy crisis, and the food crisis in order to not only attack Ukraine, but also every democracy that is currently fighting alongside us for democracy “She stated, Therefore, the quicker we complete this task, the quicker we will return to rebuilding and reconstructing our country, as well as to some form of normalcy in Europe and globally.
She added that the end of the war will make it easier for Ukrainian officials to identify and locate the approximately 91,000 children she claims were abducted from Ukrainian families and taken to Russia.
The issue is one of the “highest priority,” according to Markarova, and “maybe, when we win, we can get them all back.”