ISTANBUL

Ukraine on Thursday said criticism of the pace of its counteroffensive against Russia, which began in early June, is like “spitting in the face of the Ukrainian soldier.”

“Criticizing the slow pace of the counteroffensive is spitting in the face of the Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day, moving forward and liberating Ukrainian land,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a briefing following an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain, according to Ukrainian news agency RBC-Ukraine.

Kuleba advised critics to “shut up, come to Ukraine and try to liberate" Ukrainian territory themselves.

In a post on X, the Ukrainian diplomat said he discussed with EU foreign ministers Ukraine's 10-point peace formula, which was presented by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a G-20 summit in November.

"Ukraine's Peace Formula is the largest and most ambitious diplomatic undertaking since the creation of post-WWII security architecture. We are actively working together to fulfill this gargantuan task, which we discussed today in Toledo with EU foreign ministers," he said.

Ukraine has claimed to have re-taken control of multiple villages since its much-awaited counteroffensive, most recently Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia, one of the four regions annexed by Russia.