The Ukrainian counteroffensive is underway

Ukrainian military officials say their troops have retaken another southeastern village from Russian forces. This weekend, President Volodymyr Zelensky said his troops are engaged in intense fighting along the front line.

Also on the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, in the Russian city of Sochi. After those discussions, he insisted the Ukrainian counter-offensive has begun, but also that it has been a failure so far.

Putin has let his hand slip a bit recently, saying that Russian forces were dealing with artillery problems and that the country will deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus in early July

Late last week, the Pentagon said it would provide an additional $2.1 billion in long-term weapons aid for Ukraine. The new assistance package includes funding for more Patriot missile battery munitions and air defense systems.

We recap the weekend of news from Ukraine and look at what kind of battle lies ahead.