Zelenskyy believes that the counteroffensive did not have its expected success because of a lack of weapons.

In an interview with the AP, the president noted that Ukraine did not receive all the necessary and promised weapons from its allies. However, according to the president, there have been positive results over the past few months:

1. Ukraine achieved gradual territorial gains against a better armed and fortified enemy
2. The strength of the Russian Federation’s Black Sea Fleet was reduced following Ukrainian attacks on its headquarters in occupied Crimea
3. The temporary grain corridor is still operating successfully.

At the same time, Zelenskyy is wary that the war between Israel and Hamas threatens to overshadow the conflict in Ukraine, jeopardizing the flow of Western military aid to Kyiv. Therefore, at the last meeting with President Joe Biden and US Congress members, Zelenskyy asked them to give Ukraine cheap loans and licenses to produce American weapons. According to the Ukrainian leader, increasing the power of the defense industry can help to turn the tide of the war.