KIEV, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Oleksandr Pavliuk, commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, said the country will face a "critical phase of war" in the next two months, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported Friday.

Russia will continue to focus on the offensives in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, but also may strike the northeastern districts of Kharkiv and Sumy regions, he suggested.

"Russia knows that if we get enough weapons within a month or two, the situation could turn against them," Pavliuk said.

Ukraine urgently needs to strengthen its air defense, he said, noting that the expected delivery of F-16 fighters by early June will provide a "significant psychological boost" for Ukraine.

（Editor:Fu Bo）