Achi news desk-
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States hopes its new arms deliveries will help Ukraine rebuild defenses and replace its forces as it recovers from a lapse in U.S. aid, but Kyiv does not expect to launch large-scale offensive operations against Russian forces in the near term, a US defense official said on Thursday.
The United States on Friday will host a virtual meeting of Ukraine’s international aid donors, days after Congress emerged from half a year of impasse to approve a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. President Joe Biden’s administration quickly announced that $1 billion in artillery, air defenses and other hardware would soon go to Ukraine’s front lines.
The influx of weapons could improve Kyiv’s chances of avoiding a major Russian advance in the east, just over two years since the start of a full-scale invasion of Moscow, military analysts said.
But it remains unclear how much pressure Kyiv can put on Russia after months of artillery rationing as its stocks run low. Kyiv also faces a shortage of manpower on the battlefield and questions remain about the strength of its defenses along a sprawling, 1,000-km (621-mile) front line.
A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the goal was to enable Ukraine so that its forces would be able to “regain the initiative.” “In terms of what we see in the coming months of operations, Ukrainians will need to rebuild quite a bit to receive all these new supplies after rationing ammunition and other supplies … and make sure they can defend their jobs,” said the officer.
“So we would not anticipate any large-scale offensive in the near term,” the official said, expressing optimism that Kyiv would be able to start putting “significantly higher pressure” on Russian forces including in Russian-occupied Crimea.
STOP THE RUSSIAN INITIATIVE
Moscow has had the battlefield advantage since seizing the fortified town of Avdiivka in the eastern Donbas region in February, and its forces have been slowly advancing using more troops and artillery shells.
They are now affecting the town of Chasiv Yar, which is located on high ground that, if captured, would bring Moscow closer to the remaining Kyiv-held Donbas cities of Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Zelenskiy said this month that Russia can now fire 10 times more artillery rounds than Ukraine’s troops. Russian forces outnumber Kyiv’s troops 7-10 times in the east, a Ukrainian general said this month.
US officials have said for months that new US aid is critical, even if Ukraine could take time to rebuild momentum.
Air Force General CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a forum at Georgetown University that Kyiv had in the past proven it could use US aid effectively, and said its troops had retaken half of the territory seized by forces Russia in the beginning of their invasion.
“Why this aid to Ukraine is so important is because when they have the ability, they have been effective,” Brown said.
Biden, a Democrat who is expected to face former Republican President Donald Trump in November’s presidential election, had pressed lawmakers for six months to approve more funding for Ukraine.
Trump opposed the Ukraine aid, and some Republicans in Congress refused to support it, questioning whether Ukraine could ever exist.
The US defense official, briefing a small group of reporters, did not directly address the question of whether allies should do more to mitigate any future impact of US political volatility on aid to Ukraine but expressed optimism about long-term support for Kyiv.
“We are very pleased to see that we have solid bipartisan support for Ukraine,” the official said. “There has been very consistent support from the allies during the last year…. And we anticipate that that support will continue.”
In addition to US aid, the European Union is providing aid including a Czech-led initiative that will begin supplying Ukraine with some 300,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery shells from June.
Germany also announced plans in April to supply the US-made Patriot air defense system and air defense missiles.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and personalized news feeds – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!
Catch all Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates about Live Mint. Download the Mint News App for Daily Market Updates.
More less
Published: 26 April 2024, 01:07 AM IST
