Ukraine rejects Indonesia's peace proposal

Ukrainian leaders and officials talk about the timing of the counterattack

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal ( WSJ ) published on June 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was ready to launch a long-awaited counter-offensive campaign to regain territory controlled by Russia.

“We strongly believe that we will succeed. I don’t know how long it will take. Honestly, it could go in many different ways, completely different ways. But we will do it, and we are ready,” Zelensky told the WSJ .

Quick view: What hot developments happened in the Russian military campaign in Ukraine on day 464?

Reuters also reported that Mr Zelensky said last month that Ukraine needed to wait for more Western armored vehicles to arrive before launching a counterattack.

The leader has stepped up diplomatic efforts to maintain Western support, seeking more military aid and weapons, which are key to Ukraine's success in its plans.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky

On the same day, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr V. Havrylov said that the country's counteroffensive plan is still on track, despite the wave of Russian attacks in recent weeks. According to the official, Kyiv will "start the counteroffensive with the ambition to liberate our territories this year."

Meanwhile, General David Petraeus, former director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), said Ukraine's counter-offensive was "very impressive" and could be successful, and said Ukrainians were "determined to liberate their country", in an interview with BBC Radio 4. He recently visited Kyiv and met President Zelensky.

Ukrainian president says ready for counterattack

Indonesia proposes peace plan in Ukraine

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto on June 3 proposed a peace plan to end the conflict in Ukraine, calling for the establishment of a demilitarized zone and a UN-led referendum on what he called "disputed territory".

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue on June 3.

Mr Subianto called on defence and military officials from around the world attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore to issue a statement calling for an end to hostilities.

He proposed a multi-point plan that included a ceasefire “at the current positions of both sides in the conflict” and the establishment of a demilitarized zone by withdrawing 15 kilometers from each side’s frontline positions, Reuters reported.

The door to dialogue on Ukraine is not closed yet

He said the demilitarized zone should be monitored by a UN-deployed peacekeeping force, and proposed that a UN-led referendum be held “to objectively determine the will of the majority of residents in the various disputed areas”.

However, Ukraine has rejected this proposal. According to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko, there is no "disputed territory" between Ukraine and Russia on which to hold a referendum.

Russian territory attacked, 2 people killed

The governor of Russia's Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on June 3 that two people were killed and two injured after Ukraine shelled the region on the same day, according to Reuters. "Since this morning, residential areas in the Shebekino district have been under attack by the Ukrainian armed forces," he wrote on Telegram.

Earlier, Mr. Gladkov said more than 2,500 people had been evacuated from the area because it was unsafe there.

Russian officials have reported increased attacks from northern Ukraine in recent days. Kyiv has never publicly acknowledged responsibility for attacks that have occurred inside Russian territory.

Also on June 3, the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said he was ready to send forces to Belgorod province, a locality bordering Ukraine.

"If the (Russian) Defense Ministry, in the near future, does not stop what is happening in the Belgorod region... then of course we will come to defend Russian soil... Civilians are dying in Belgorod," he said on Telegram, according to AFP. He added that he would not wait for an "invitation" to deploy his forces there.

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