A top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that the counteroffensive to liberate occupied Ukrainian territories will be “long and difficult”, stressing that Kiev needs more tanks and F-16 jets from its Western allies.

Since the beginning of June, the Ukrainian armed forces have launched a major operation to push back Russian troops in the southern and eastern parts of the country. However, the Ukrainian counterattack has not yielded the expected results, since Russian forces have fortified their positions and laid mines in the surrounding areas.

“Without a doubt, this operation will be quite difficult and will take a lot of time,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak told AFP.

According to him, the biggest obstacle to the advance of the Ukrainian forces is the vast areas that the Russian army has mined, which in some cases reach a radius of “4-16 kilometers”.

Despite the military aid it has received so far from the West, the Ukrainian armed forces still need more, Podoliak stressed, while acknowledging that “defense industries (in the West) were not prepared for this kind of war,” with such high demands.

Podoliak estimated that Ukraine needs an additional “200-300 armored vehicles, mainly tanks”, “60-80 F-16 aircraft” and “5-10 air defense systems” (American Patriot or French SAMP/T arrays).

“We also need shells,” Podoliak continued, explaining that Ukrainian forces use “4,500-6,000 large-caliber shells” every day. “We should be able to launch 150-200 long-range missiles every month,” if not “300-400,” he added.

The adviser to the Ukrainian president ruled out any negotiation with Russia, whose goal is – according to Podoliak – the “disintegration” of Ukraine and the “total control” of the former Soviet republics.