Sharjah24 - Reuters: Ukraine on Thursday hailed a lightning counteroffensive it said had recaptured swathes of its territory in the east and south, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the country to pledge further aid at what he called a "pivotal moment".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in video comments, called Blinken's visit, "a very important signal that the United States is with us. For us this is a guarantee that we can return our territories and our land".
Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksiy Gromov said the country had recaptured more than 700 sq km (270 sq miles) of its territory, offering the first official assessment of the operation. Ukrainian forces had advanced up to 50 kilometres (30 miles) behind Russian lines and recaptured more than 20 villages in the Kharkiv region, he said.
If confirmed and held, it would be a serious blow for Russia, which Western intelligence services say has suffered huge casualties. It would also represent a big boost for Kyiv, which is keen to show its Western backers that it can change the facts on the ground by force and deserves continued support.
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