Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky underscored on Friday that Kiev's objective is to neutralize the Crimean Bridge, stressing that it represents an "enemy facility built outside the international laws."
"The objective is to reclaim the whole Crimea because it is our sovereign territory," Zelensky told the Aspen Security Forum via video, noting that the Kerch Bridge is used to deliver munitions and "militarizes" the Crimean Peninsula. "Any target that is bringing war has to be neutralized," he added.
Zelensky underlined that Ukraine's counteroffensive is progressing slower than expected because the operation started later than initially planned. "Because we started a bit late...it provided Russia the time to mine all our land and build several lines of defense," the Ukrainian head of state stated.