"They are behind schedule" - US senior administration official on Ukrainian military counter-offensive

The administration of US President Joe Biden says the Ukrainian military's counteroffensive has been slow to get off to a good start, writes The New York Times

A US presidential administration official has acknowledged that the Ukrainian military's offensive has been slower than hoped for. According to him, this was not unexpected, given the Russian defence. He urged not to draw any broad conclusions based on the initial operations.

"In Washington, officials in the Biden administration are publicly urging patience even as they privately fret that the initial progress has been slow," the newspaper says.

The newspaper explains that the Ukrainian army faces a number of problems that complicate its plans, including a strip of minefields that the Russians have created for defence and the terrain in the southeast, where open fields do not provide cover.

To recap, on June 10, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine was conducting counter-offensive and defensive actions.

"Appropriate counter-offensive and defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine. At what stage - I will not say in detail. I believe that we will feel it all," the President of Ukraine said.