Denys Shmyhal made the declaration in an interview with British broadcaster Sky News on Tuesday.
As Russian President Vladimir Putin commemorated his country’s Victory Day, marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, Shmyhal said the most important day for Ukraine will be when it triumphs over the Russian invasion.
He told Sky News: "I'm sure that the most important victory day for Ukraine will be victory day over this terrible Russian aggression - full-scale aggression - against Ukraine."
Shmyhal visited the UK to attend the coronation of King Charles and also visited a military training area on Britain’s Salisbury Plan, where British and New Zealand troops trained Ukrainian recruits to help Kyiv’s war effort against the Russian invasion, Sky News reported.
Asked when Ukraine would begin its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russian forces, Shmyhal said: "We are preparing very carefully because it's a very important operation and we understand that we should demonstrate success in this operation to our society, to our partners, to all the world [and] to our enemy."
The Ukrainian prime minister also said that troops were readying themselves for the operation, with training, weapons and ammunition, while the government in Kyiv was working closely with its partners, Sky News reported.
Shmyhal said: "We will begin ... when [it] is proper time, when it will be absolutely ready ... We will begin the counteroffensive immediately when our military and political leadership makes the decision."
Ukraine’s Zelensky, EU’s von der Leyen hold talks in Kyiv
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who visited Kyiv for the fifth time since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to news outlets.
The head of the European Union’s executive Commission arrived in Ukraine on to mark Europe Day, which promotes peace and unity on the continent and falls on the same day as Russia’s World War II Victory Day, the France24 broadcaster reported.
Von der Leyen and Zelensky discussed ammunition production, financial support, the EU’s new sanctions plans and Ukraine’s grain exports through Solidarity Lanes, according to officials.
At a joint news conference afterwards, Zelensky said his country needed more and faster support from Brussels, including a clear path to EU membership, the France24 outlet reported.
Ukraine’s president said: "The time has come to remove the artificial political uncertainty in the relations between Ukraine and the EU.”
He added: "The time has come to take a positive decision on the opening of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU."
Von der Leyen is due to provide EU member state leaders with a report in October on Ukraine's progress in democratic and anti-corruption reforms, according to officials.
EU members will have to decide whether to launch formal EU membership talks, France24 reported.
Von der Leyen visited Kyiv for a series of meetings, including with Prime Minister Shmyhal, ahead of Ukraine’s planned spring counteroffensive against Russian forces, according to news outlets.
Von der Leyen told reporters in the Ukrainian capital: "Ukraine is fighting for the ideals of Europe that we celebrate today. In Russia, [President Vladimir] Putin and his regime have destroyed these values. And now they are attempting to destroy them here in Ukraine."
She added: "But the aggressor has already dramatically failed. Ukraine has resisted the attack and is fighting back successfully."
Meanwhile, Zelensky thanked von der Leyen for the EU's decision to provide Ukraine with 1 million artillery shells, but insisted they must be delivered more quickly.
He said: "The need for them on the battlefield is already present."
Zelensky also called on the EU to lift "unacceptable" restrictions on Ukrainian grain exports, according to his office.
Tuesday is day 440 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: PAP, Sky News, France24, president.gov.ua