This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Valerie Sanderson and at 30 Nihars GMT on Thursday 11 May, these are our main stories.

President Zelensky explains why Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia's invasion hasn't begun yet.

Pakistan Supreme Court has ordered the release from custody of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

A United Nations meeting in Geneva hears that ongoing violence in Sudan has obliterated years of international development work.

Also, the former US President Donald Trump appears on TV dismissing as a whack job,

a woman who won her sex abuse case against him in a civil court.

And...

How a chance encounter in a bar sparked Lithuania's entry into the Eurovision Song Contest.

For weeks, there's been talk of a new counteroffensive by Ukraine against the Russian forces that invaded

the country in February 2022. But President Zelensky says his country is waiting for more arms

before that gets underway. Western capitals who are supportive of the government in Kiev and who

supplied money and weapons are keen for the long awaited operation, which its hope will eventually

lead to the withdrawal of President Putin's forces from Ukraine. Mr. Zelensky has been speaking to the

BBC's Hugo Bachega in Kiev, who was conducting the interview on behalf of Eurovision News.

Some people may be tired of the war, but he also said he believed in victory, he believed in success.

Obviously, this is the job of the President to keep the country united, to keep morale high.

And I think there is a clear understanding that this much anticipated counteroffensive is likely to

be crucial for Ukraine, not only because of what happens on the battlefield, but also in terms of the

military support being given by Western countries to Ukraine. Now, for weeks, for months, we've

been talking about this counteroffensive. So I asked the President whether his country was ready for it.

Mentally, we're ready. In terms of how motivated our military are, we're ready. In terms of

...