Not a 'big battle for Middle-earth': Zelenskyy’s aide on looming Ukrainian counteroffensive

New Delhi: President Vladimir Zelenskyy’s aide Mikhail Podoliak on Tuesday said the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not a “Hollywood movie” and one should not expect the looming Kiev counteroffensive to be a turning point in it. “When we talk about a counteroffensive, that it will cause a collapse for Russia or, conversely, there will be no gains for Ukraine, it looks like we are in a Hollywood movie, where a big battle for Middle-earth begins and one battle for Gondor will decide everything. Things do not happen like that,” a Russia Today report quoted Podoliak as saying. The long-hyped offensive is a set of “many events,” some of which may be “more successful, while others – less (successful),” he added. Podoliak’s comments appear to be in line with recent pronouncements by other Ukrainian and Western leaders, who cautioned the people against having too high of expectations for the eagerly anticipated onslaught. The operation, which was originally expected to start in the spring, even as early as in late winter, has not materialised thus far. Kiev’s top diplomat, Dmitry Kuleba, recently advised against treating the counteroffensive as a make-or-break moment in the whole conflict. Multiple senior US officials have also expressed doubt that Ukraine will be capable of reaching its proclaimed goal of expelling Russian troops from all the territories it claims as its own anytime soon. Moreover, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby recently warned that Moscow might launch a new offensive of its own shortly. “In the spring, when the weather improves, and it’s already starting to improve … we can expect the Russians to want to go on the offensive in some areas,” Kirby told the state-run Voice of America outlet on Friday. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.