Kyiv, Ukraine CNN —Despite an underwhelming first month of Ukraine’s much-anticipated summer push to liberate territory from Russian forces, Kyiv says its Western backers are not pressuring the country for quick results. Ukraine had hoped to use the push to expel a significant amount of Russian forces from Ukrainian soil and turn the tide of the war. Asked by CNN if Ukraine’s western allies were looking for quicker gains on the battlefield, Yermak said there was no such pressure from partner countries. Ukrainian Army spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi said on Ukrainian television that Russian forces are putting up a “fierce resistance,” but Ukraine has the initiative. In his comments Saturday morning, southern command head Tarnavsky told Ukrainian TV viewers that nine Russian ammunition depots had been destroyed in the last day.

---

Persons: Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelensky, Yermak, Serhiy Cherevatyi, ”, Daniel Carde, Kupiansk, Cherevatyi, “, ” Lyman, ” Cherevatyi, Rob Lee, ” Lee, Alex Chan Tsz Yuk, Oleksandr Tarnavsky, Tarnavsky Organizations: Ukraine CNN, NATO, CNN, United, Army Tactical Missile Systems, Bakhmut, Ukrainian, State, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Kremlin, Arms Army Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukraine’s, Russian, Ukrainian, Lithuania, United States, France, United Kingdom, Bakhmut, Berhivka, Vremivka, Lyman, Donetsk, Russia, Novoselivske, Crimean, Zaporizhzhia, Berdiansk