The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, reported on Sunday that Ukraine had reclaimed approximately 50% of the territory originally seized by Russia, adding that the counteroffensive is still in the early stages, The Hill reported.

Russian Objective Failed

Blinken expressed confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin's aim to erase Ukraine's independence and absorb the nation into Russia has failed.

This objective, according to Blinken, failed a long time ago, despite Russia's significant efforts to accomplish it.

Blinken shared this information during an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria on the "GPS" show.

Ukraine's Ongoing Battle for Its Land

According to Blinken, Ukraine is currently struggling to reclaim more land seized by Russia.

The Secretary of State affirmed that approximately half of the initially occupied territory had been retaken by Ukraine.

Blinken explained that these are still the early days of Ukraine's counteroffensive, but it is a challenging task. He said, "Now they're in a very hard fight to take back more."

Last week, the Ukrainian forces claimed they had regained control of nearly 18 square kilometers (7 square miles) of territory in the eastern and southern regions due to their counteroffensive against the Russian forces, Reuters reported.

Projected Optimism and Current Challenges

Blinken conveyed an optimistic tone when discussing Ukraine's prospects in the counteroffensive.

After extensive preparations spanning several months, the Ukrainian forces initiated their offensive to reclaim the territory seized by Russia.

Despite starting strong, the progress of Ukraine's counteroffensive has slowed down recently.

The slowdown has been attributed to a rapid depletion of Ukraine's ammunition stocks and the complications of navigating through the minefields laid down by Russia.

The Russians have established strong defenses, challenging the Ukrainians to break through.

Nonetheless, Blinken expressed conviction that Ukraine, equipped and supported by over 50 countries, can overcome these obstacles.

He said, "With the training that their forces have gotten, and many of the forces who've gotten that training have not yet been put fully into this fight."

He added, "More than anything else, with the fact that, unlike the Russians, Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for their future, for their country, for their freedom. I think that is the decisive element, and that's going to play out. "

Timeline of the Counteroffensive

Despite his optimism, Blinken was cautious about predicting a quick resolution to the conflict. "But it will not play out over the next week or two. We're still looking, I think, at several months," Blinken stated.