Zelenskyy declares readiness for counteroffensive against Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that Russia should withdraw its troops from the occupied territories without waiting for Ukraine to liberate them by force if it wants a "diplomatic direction" in the settlement of the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy emphasised that whether Ukraine de-occupies its territory by military means or not depends only on Russia. He expressed confidence that "any other leadership of the Russian Federation will look for a way out of this situation" and even Russian society "already understands that the issue of their internal explosion is a matter of time."