Ukraine's ‘slow’ counteroffensive could jeopardize continued US military aid – report
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The seemingly sluggish pace of Ukraine's
counteroffensive operations might raise questions about future military
aid from the United States, The Wall Street Journal reported on July 25,
citing Western officials.
The report suggests that the slow progress of the operation might put to test U.S. President Joe Biden's strategy of providing billions of dollars in military assistance to Ukraine. The goal of this aid isn't to ensure Ukraine's outright victory over Russia or complete liberation of occupied territory. Rather, it's to empower Kyiv to negotiate with Moscow from a position of strength.
There are questions about the West's willingness and capability to continue supplying weapons to the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
"Obviously it’s easier to provide more support when things are going well," said John Herbst, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. Herbst added that the Biden administration has no other choice but to persist with the arms supplies to Ukraine.
Halting arms supplies or even accepting a partial victory for Russia would represent a significant failure in U.S. foreign policy, surpassing the scale of the Afghanistan troop withdrawal debacle, according to Herbst.
While there are risks in offering comprehensive support to Ukraine, the Biden administration sees the conflict as a struggle between democracy and authoritarianism and has already approved more than $40 billion in military aid.
The WSJ highlighted that with neither Russia nor Ukraine appearing ready to negotiate, the White House has little choice but to continue its assistance to Kyiv. The Biden administration is hopeful for further military victories by the Ukrainian Armed Forces or emerging political issues in Russia.
An anonymous senior European official indicated that the U.S. government does not expect the Ukrainian Defense Forces to fully liberate the eastern regions and Crimea. Another anonymous diplomat suggested the United States must acknowledge the long-term nature of Russia's war against Ukraine, and that arms supplies to Ukraine will likely be needed for years to come.
The critical question is whether Washington and its allies will continue or even expand aid to Ukraine if the counteroffensive does not meet expectations.
On July 21, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that the counteroffensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces is progressing slowly due to a delayed start.
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