Sullivan: US believes Ukrainians ‘will meet with success’ in counteroffensive

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview on Sunday that the U.S. believes Ukrainians “will meet with success” in their counteroffensive against Russian forces. 

“Well, first, this is not an exam. We’re not grading Ukraine’s counteroffensive and saying, ‘You know, you did well based on what we gave you or you did poorly,’ ” Sullivan said on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS.” “What we want to do is support Ukraine to make as much progress as possible on the battlefield, so that it is in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.” 

Sullivan also told Zakaria that he believes Ukraine could regain significant territory currently occupied by Russia. 

“But we believe that the Ukrainians will meet with success in this counteroffensive,” Sullivan added. “And we will continue to support them as they seek to defend themselves against Russia’s ongoing aggression.” 

Sullivan’s remarks come after Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky told The Wall Street Journal that his country is ready to lunch a counteroffensive against Russian forces occupying parts of his nation. 

In recent weeks, Ukrainian officials have indicated that Kyiv is nearing the launch of its counteroffensive attack. 

“I don’t know how long it will take,” Zelensky told the Journal. “To be honest, it can go a variety of ways, completely different. But we are going to do it, and we are ready.”

The Russia invasion of Ukraine, launched in February, 2022, has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths, tens of thousands of military casualties on both sides, and the displacement of over 8.2 million Ukrainian citizens.