Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged Thursday that his country's counteroffensive had yielded “generally positive” results thus far but hasn't been easy.

Kyiv claims to have liberated a handful of villages from Russian control over the last week or so, but there have been no large breakthroughs against Russia in the southern or eastern part of the country.

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“Our heroic people, our troops on the front of the frontline, are facing very tough resistance,” Zelensky told NBC News. “Because for Russia to lose this campaign to Ukraine, I would say, actually means losing the war."

So far, the results on the front lines have been “generally positive, but it’s very difficult.”

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reiterated that sentiment, noting limited progress stunted by Russian forces.

The "offensive continues in several directions, and the armed forces are also gradually but surely advancing there," but she warned that "the enemy is putting up strong resistance.

“All defense forces are engaged in both offensive and defensive operations," Maliar said. "That is, today we are conducting an offensive in several areas, and defense, because the enemy is also carrying out offensive actions.”

As Ukrainian troops try to liberate territory, Russia has continued launching rockets indiscriminately at targets within Ukraine. On Tuesday, about a dozen people were killed when a Russian strike hit a residential building in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih and injured more.

Western defense leaders from roughly 50 countries are meeting in Brussels on Friday in this month's Defense Contact Group meeting. Led by United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the group meets monthly to discuss Ukraine's latest needs.

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"Ukraine's fight is a marathon and not a sprint. So we will continue to provide Ukraine with the urgent capabilities that it needs to meet this moment, as well as what it needs to keep itself secure for the long term from Russian aggression," Austin told reporters ahead of the meeting. "And make no mistake: we will stand with Ukraine for the long haul."

The U.S. over the last week or so has announced two military aid packages for Ukraine, one meant to help in the short-term, and another with long-term goals in mind.