"It's already taken back about 50 percent of what was initially seized," Blinken said in an interview with CNN on Sunday.
"These are still relatively early days of the [Ukrainian ed.] counteroffensive. It is tough," he said, adding: "It will not play out over the next week or two. We're still looking I think at several months."
Last month, President Volodymyr Zelensky was quoted acknowledging that the progress of the counteroffensive against Russian forces was "not as rapid as desired."
While Ukraine has managed to reclaim certain villages in the south and territory surrounding the devastated city of Bakhmut in the east, a significant breakthrough against the heavily fortified Russian defense lines has not yet been achieved.
Regarding the possibility of Ukraine obtaining US-made F-16 fighter jets, Blinken expressed confidence that it would happen: "And the important focus is on making sure that when they do, they’re properly trained, they’re able to maintain the planes, and use them in a smart way."
(ał)
Source: Reuters