Ukrainian soldiers ride atop a tank on the frontline in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Wednesday, March 22, 2023 (AP Photo/Libkos)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during an interview published by the BBC Thursday that Ukraine is not ready yet to launch a counter-offensive and requires more time to do so.

This follows recent news of London vowing to supply Kiev with Storm Shadow missiles, making the UK the first country to supply longer-range missiles.

Western observers say this will be a crucial step that will determine the re-capture of annexed territories in the East.

"Mentally we're ready...," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the BBC. "In terms of equipment, not everything has arrived yet.

"With (what we have) we can go forward and be successful. But we'd lose a lot of people. I think that's unacceptable. So we need to wait. We still need a bit more time," he was quoted as saying.

On another note, Wagner Group private military company (PMC) chief Yevgeny Prigozhin blamed Zelensky for being "dishonest" in the interview, noting that Ukraine's counter-offensive "is in full swing."

The founder of Russia’s Wagner group mercenary force Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Thursday that Ukrainian units had begun their counterattack, and were approaching #Bakhmut from the flanks. #StandWithUkraine https://t.co/D3XDGuiV4D pic.twitter.com/aJJQ9mIQAV
— Dénes Törteli 🇪🇺🇭🇺🇺🇦 (@DenesTorteli) May 11, 2023

On Tuesday, Ukrainian National Security Secretary, Oleksiy Danilov revealed that the long-anticipated spring counteroffensive is still being planned and is still considering different options.

"Today, people who know exactly all our plans, they do not exist. The final plan has not yet been approved. We have several options, they are all being worked out, and depending on the circumstances that will be in that or another period of time, certain decisions will be made," Danilov said.

Back in April, the Ukrainian defense minister said that the Ukrainian forces were ready for the counteroffensive, however, later in May he noted that Kiev's allies had very high expectations of the counter-offensive.

The spring counteroffensive which was reportedly set to start on April 30 has been postponed indefinitely due to a shortage of weapons, according to the Foreign Policy newspaper.

Additionally, in early April the Ukrainian Prime minister announced that the offensive would be carried out in the summer.