The U.S. continues its pledge to ship weapons to Ukraine in order to defend its territory. However, delays have prevented those weapons from reaching the frontlines as quickly as they should. This has allowed Russia to gain an advantage in its pursuit of the Donbas region.
General Jack Keane of the Institute for the Study of War stated that Ukraine is at a “tipping point”, which means it requires more weapons to defeat the Russian advantage.
Keane said that Russia has an advantage because of the number of guns they have.”The Ukrainians have the skill, they’ve got the will, they’ve got the number of people to do it. What they need are the weapons to do it.”
Two tranches of weapons and assistance to Ukraine were announced by President Biden in the last month. The package, worth $1.2 billion, included artillery and ammunition. Therefore, packages will be announced by the department before they have been inspected and located.
Many analysts believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to take the Donbas, but Russian forces tried to seize Kyiv in one decisive attack. The invasion was a failure because the Russian military faced a number of obstacles, including logistical problems.
Russia is now shifting its focus to the Donbas. Russia has been able to increase its war capabilities by focusing on the Donbas.
According to the official, “it seems like the right weapons aren’t getting there in the time necessary and that this could have been a clear victory for Ukraine but has turned into a Russian advantage – a stumble at the West’s 10-yard line. ”
Officials from Defense Department said that the weapons could take up to several months to reach Ukrainian forces. Harpoon missile systems will also take weeks to train troops.
“The truck-mounted Harpoon is in this condition, with the configuration shown here is new,” a defense official stated.
Ukrainian forces claim that they need more weapons than their allies have sent them. The U.S. has pledged to coordinate with Ukrainian partners in order to ensure aid continues to reach the frontlines. However, it could not comment on specific timelines.
“We are in constant communication with our Ukrainian counterparts discussing the situation and their critical needs,” Lieutenant Colonel Anton T. Semelroth, Department of Defense Spokesman, said.
Ukraine is struggling because of the refusal of its European allies, such as President Emmanuel Macron in France and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, to provide lethal aid.
Germany delayed the initial delivery of lethal aid to Ukraine for two months after the invasion. It has been slow to deliver any aid since then. The Kiel Institute in Germany has data that shows Germany is far behind its allies both in terms of the amount of aid promised and the actual amount delivered. It represents 35% of its total commitment.
Keane told John Roberts that he could see Europe crumbling during an appearance on America Reports. This is to drive Russians off my territory.
He said, “You have French and Germans – but they are not there.” They want a ceasefire. You must get to negotiations quickly, and end the situation as soon as possible… Russia will be favored by any stalemate like that. ”
Keane acknowledged that the U.S. might favor peace negotiations, and said that “the United States was strongly involved in a bit both of these, to be truthful about it.”
Russia will use this indecision, division, and commitment to gain an edge over Ukraine while it attempts to secure the Donbas. The Ukrainians are struggling with decreasing resources.
Rebekah Koller, Doctrine & Strategic Consulting’s former intelligence officer at DIA, stated that Russia knows about the lack of cohesion among NATO and European governments regarding how far they should support Ukraine. She was also involved in covert intelligence operations, and she waged disinformation warfare.
Morgan Ortagus, a former State Department Spokesperson, argued that it’s about the “right” weapons reaching Ukraine and not timing.
Ortagus said that “the problems the Ukrainian fighters face are not due to delays in delivering arms that we agreed to send but rather that they are learning how costly it is to stop the war. “
