In an interview with Sky News, Denys Shmyhal said the long-awaited operation would only be launched when the time is right, and gave no indication when that might be.
"I'm sure that the most important victory day for Ukraine will be victory day over this terrible Russian aggression - full-scale aggression - against Ukraine," he said, speaking during a trip to the UK to attend the coronation of King Charles.Denys Shmyhal speaks with King Charle and Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska during a reception at Buckingham Palace last week
Mr Shmyhal visited a British military training area on Salisbury Plain to watch British and New Zealand troops helping to train Ukrainian recruits as part of a British-led assistance programme to turn thousands of Ukrainian civilians into soldiers. Asked whether some of the recruits learning shooting and other skills would be part of the counter-offensive when they returned to Ukraine, the prime minister, speaking in English, said:"On this training base, our future soldiers - guys and girls - are... having all special knowledge and experiences, practical experiences, for the battlefield."
As for why it was taking so long for the Ukrainian military officially to begin its offensive, Mr Shmyhal said:"We are preparing very carefully because it's a very important operation and we understand that we should demonstrate success in this operation to our society, to our partners, to all the world [and] to our enemy."Read more:During the visit last Friday, he said troops were readying themselves for the operation, with training, weapons and ammunition.
"We will begin...when [it] is proper time, when it will be absolutely ready... we will begin counter-offensive immediately when our military and political leadership will make the decision."
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