Kiev ready to counterattack, Russia talks about how to establish peace, EU admits one thing

On June 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the country is ready to launch a long-awaited counterattack.

An aerial view shows the devastation in Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, on May 23. (Source: Getty Image)

“We strongly believe in success,” Zelensky said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal . “I don’t know how long it will take. Frankly, the counterattack can take many different forms. But we will do it and we are ready.”

The Kiev government hopes the counteroffensive will change the dynamics of the current war.

Last month, President Zelensky said the country needed to wait for the West to provide more armored vehicles before launching a counterattack.

The Ukrainian leader has made a sustained diplomatic push to maintain Western support, seeking more military aid and weapons, which are key to Ukraine's success in its plans.

* In a speech at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue held on June 3 in Singapore, Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto proposed a plan to peacefully resolve the conflict in Ukraine, which includes a ceasefire, the establishment of a demilitarized zone and the deployment of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces.

The first point of the plan is to call for an immediate ceasefire on both sides.

Second, each side would move 15 kilometers away from their current positions to establish a new demilitarized zone. Mr. Subianto explained that international peacekeeping forces would need to be deployed there quickly.

He said: "The UN needs to organize and conduct a referendum in disputed territories to objectively confirm the will of the majority of the people, but without specifying those territories."

According to him, Indonesia is ready to participate in all these processes, including sending troops to participate in UN peacekeeping missions.

* On the European Union (EU) side, on June 2, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said that the conflict in Ukraine would end in a few weeks if the West stopped providing military support to the country.

“If we (the West) end military support for Ukraine, the military operation will end in a few weeks,” said Mr. Borrell.

However, Mr. Borrell emphasized that the West will continue to provide military support to Ukraine because they want peace in this Eastern European country.

* Also on June 2, Chairman of the Legislative Body of the Crimean Peninsula Vladimir Konstantinov said that establishing peace in Ukraine can only be achieved if the West understands the need to negotiate with Russia.

Earlier, President Zelensky stated that the basis for resolving the conflict in Ukraine can only be Kiev's "peace formula", which includes restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity and establishing an international mechanism for compensation for damages to the country.

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