Major General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmitry Marchenko stated that Ukraine should target the Kerch Strait Bridge connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland as soon as it receives necessary weapons from the West.

In an interview with US state-run media Crimea Realities (Krym.Realii), he tersely said: “The Kerch Bridge is absolutely our number one target.”

“As the main way of sending in reserves, we just have to cut it off. As soon as that road is cut off, they will start to panic. And believe me, those who flew Russian flags in Simferopol will quickly get Ukrainian flags and start flying them instead,” he added.

Marchenko's remarks were part of an interview published on Wednesday in which he predicted a Ukrainian "counter-offensive" that would see Kiev victorious by the end of the summer – if enough weapons and ammunition arrived from the US and NATO allies.

Earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden announced a $1 billion military supply package that included anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and more artillery. 

While the United States is sending only four HIMARS rocket launchers, which have yet to arrive in Ukraine, other NATO allies have pledged compatible equipment. 

It is also worth noting that the Pentagon’s policy chief, on Tuesday, revealed that the US will provide guided missiles with a range of 70 kilometers.

Ukraine reportedly provided Washington with "assurances that they will not use these systems against targets on Russian territory," according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this month. 

However, the US refuses to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, dubbing the peninsula, which overwhelmingly voted to rejoin Russia in March 2014, "illegally annexed."

It was unclear what weapons Marchenko hoped to use against the bridge, which the Kiev government has previously threatened to attack. While the bridge was the only way to reach Crimea from the Russian mainland for several years, the entire Black Sea coast from Kherson to Mariupol is now under Russian and Donbass republics' control.

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