The Ukrainian Armed Forces' successful counteroffensive is a surprise for Russia - Pentagon

General Pat Ryder, Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder states during a briefing, the website of the US Ministry of Defense reports.

"I think if anyone was surprised, based only on the reports that we saw about the response of the Russian military, it was probably the Russians," he emphasized.

A Pentagon spokesman noted that since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, "we have seen that Ukrainians demonstrate an extraordinary ability to adapt and use their combat capabilities to great effect."

"Therefore, it is not surprising for us that they (Ukrainian Armed Forces, - ed.) advanced so quickly," he said.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces also took advantage of the military opportunities that opened up on the battlefield. The Kharkiv counteroffensive is a confirmation of that, Ryder noted.

Western weapons and supplies played a significant role in the success of the counteroffensive, and at a meeting of the Ramstein Defense Contact Group for Ukraine, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III and his counterparts from nearly 50 other countries pledged to maintain supplies and increase aid that could be used for medium-term and long-term defense of Ukraine, he added.