At the same time, the head of the department Anniken Huitfelt urged to continue to provide assistance to Kiev
BERLIN, May 31. /tass/. The results of a possible counteroffensive by Ukraine should not be overestimated. This was stated by Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfelt on Wednesday in an interview with the Deutsche Welle media corporation (recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign media agent).
The topic of a possible counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops has been discussed in the media for several months, different dates have been called.
"We should not overestimate the consequences of such a counteroffensive. I think it will be very, very difficult," the minister stressed. At the same time, she called for continued assistance to Kiev.
Speaking about the prospects of Ukraine joining NATO, she expressed the opinion that the community continues to adhere to the "open door policy". "And the question is not whether Ukraine should become a member of NATO or not, but when and how it will happen," Huitfelt believes.
On Monday, the commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Syrsky, said that the time for a counteroffensive of Ukrainian troops will come soon, specific tasks for preparing for it have already been determined. At the same time, last week, the adviser to the head of the office of the Ukrainian president, Mikhail Podolyak, claimed that the counteroffensive had already begun a few days ago.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has previously stated that the open arguments of Western countries about the upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive confirm their direct involvement in the conflict.
