Zelenskyy says ‘counteroffensive, defensive actions’ are taking place in Ukraine

“I am in touch with our commanders of different directions every day,” he added, giving the names of five of Ukraine’s top military leaders

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a joint press conference with Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau in Kyiv (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

Counteroffensive and defensive actions are under way against Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday, and his top commanders were in a “positive” mindset as their troops engaged in intense fighting along the front line.

The Ukrainian leader, at a Kyiv news conference alongside Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, responded to a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comment a day earlier that Ukraine’s counteroffensive had started, and that Ukrainian forces were taking “significant losses”.