Ukraine's defense chief on how the country plans to return all occupied territories, including Crimea

Ukraine wants to return all its lands, including Crimea, but this will require new weapons from partners, said Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in an interview with CNN.

"We are going to liberate all our territories, all of them, including Crimea. Crimea is a strategic goal for Ukraine, because it is Ukrainian territory. But we will move step by step," the minister stressed.

According to him, they plan to return the occupied territories in three stages. The first step will be to stabilize the situation on the ground. The second is to drive back the Russian troops to the positions before the February 24 invasion. In the third stage, discussions will be held with Ukraine's partners on the liberation of Crimea.

Reznikov clarified that the military method of returning Crimea is not considered — weapons will be a lever of influence.

Recently, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that more than 40 countries are providing defense assistance to Ukraine. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that the Western partners have so far handed over only about 10% of the weapons requested by Kyiv.