Category: Arms Trade, Military Aid

“The stark warning from a top administration official comes as Kyiv worries about Russia’s looming summer offensive.” “CIA Director William Burns offered a stark warning to lawmakers on Capitol Hill … Thursday …. ‘With the boost that would come from [proposed] military assistance, both practically and psychologically, Ukrainians are entirely capable of holding their own through 2024 and puncturing Putin’s […]

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“Ukraine ‘will lose the war’ if the United States Congress does not approve military aid to help it resist Russia’s invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. “It’s important to specifically address the Congress: if the Congress doesn’t help Ukraine, Ukraine will lose the war,” Zelensky said Sunday during a video meeting of the Ukrainian fund-raising group UNITED24. “If Ukraine loses this […]

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“… Russia has … greater manpower … and the ability to recruit more fighters through lucrative contracts …. Russian firepower is reportedly ten times greater in aggregate than Ukraine’s and about seven-fold just for artillery and mortars. … U.S. congressional failure to approve [more] support … has led to an increased loss of Ukrainian lives and territory on the front […]

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“What the Allied intervention in the Russian civil war teaches us about Ukraine today.” “… Despite the current pall of pessimism pervading Western capitals, today’s war in Ukraine presents some of the more propitious circumstances a policymaker could hope for …. Ukraine is a worthy and competent ally, fighting to defend its territory with a highly motivated population …. The […]

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“… [A]fter Ukraine’s retreat from [Avdiivka] … partly blamed on ammunition shortages … Moscow’s advances … have been incremental and are unlikely to be rapid in the short-term but hold-ups in Western aid for Kyiv threaten to hand … Putin the initiative. … Russian forces [reportedly] are exploiting tactical opportunities opened up by Avdiivka’s seizure … trying to push as […]

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“Attendees of the Munich Security Conference were worried about Ukraine’s prospects against Russia and American commitment to Kyiv.” “… Ukraine is low on ammunition and infantry. …. Before … Zelenskyy changed leadership at the top of his country’s military, generals insisted the president had to mobilize 500,000 more troops to keep pace with a larger, still-stronger Russian force that appears […]

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“… By late spring, the Russians had adopted the kind of deep, prepared defenses that have been very difficult for attackers to break through for more than the last century …. Breakthrough … has long required permissive conditions … now absent in Ukraine: a defender … whose dispositions are shallow, forward, ill prepared, or logistically unsupported or whose troops are […]

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“If the White House demands that Kyiv hold Russia at bay rather than reconquer its own lands, it must also provide the armor and ammo.” “Speaking to … Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will deliver a message from … Joe Biden. The White House wants Ukraine to change […]

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“The report found that American officials and diplomats had failed to quickly or fully account for all of the nearly 40,000 weapons sent to the front.” “More than $1 billion worth of shoulder-fired missiles, kamikaze drones and night-vision goggles … sent [by the United States] to Ukraine have not been properly tracked by American officials, a new [DOD Inspector General] […]

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“Sullivan likely to raise strategy issue with Ukraine leader Tensions seen as war heads into third year with aid stalled” “The U.S. wants Ukraine to sharpen its plan for fighting Russia’s invasion as the war heads into its third year and is expected to raise the issue with … in Davos … and continue to push the point in the […]

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“… Crimea … became crucial to Moscow’s strategy to dominate Ukraine and the Black Sea region. Critical to that domination is the bridge spanning the Kerch Strait …  [between] Crimea [and] … mainland Russia. Built by Moscow at enormous cost, this bridge opened in 2018 … [and] has been a major conduit for … Russian soldiers and arms …. currently […]

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A Washington Post editorial addresses the war in Ukraine and how Western allies can impact how it unfolds. “… Ukraine has opened a corridor for shipping grain, pushing back Russian naval forces with missile and drone strikes. … Ukrainian forces have exacted an enormous toll on Russian armor and personnel. In battles for … Avdiivka … Russian casualties hit 900 […]

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“The first U.S.-made M1 Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine … Zelensky said … Monday. The questions … are how quickly can they enter the fight and how much impact will they have on a shifting battlefield. Advanced Western-made tanks and other armored vehicles have become a focus in debates between Ukrain[e] … and … the Pentagon, [with] some [U.S. […]

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“The country’s military is enjoying some success but it will be slow-going and requires allies to increase ammunition supplies.” “… Some U.S. officials have complained privately … that Ukraine … failed during training to master modern operations … combin[ing] mechanised infantry, artillery and air defence and [is] too risk averse …. Ukrainian officials … have pointed out that American forces […]

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