The administration of President Joe Biden has supplied more than $43 billion worth of arms to Ukraine since Russia launched its “special military operation” in Ukraine in February last year.
In early June, Ukraine launched a counteroffensive, asking for even more weapons to push south toward the Crimean Peninsula by the end of the year.
In a report on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal said the US and Ukraine have been engaged in an intense behind-the-scenes debate for weeks over the strategy and tactics for reviving the offensive.
Kyiv has made some adjustments, it said, but the two sides are still at odds about how to turn the tables on the Russians in the limited time they have before winter sets in.
Citing US officials, the paper said the US “advice is based on the calculation that the surge of equipment the US has funneled to Ukraine is enough for this offensive and is unlikely to be repeated at anywhere near the same level in 2024.”
“We built up this mountain of steel for the counteroffensive. We can’t do that again,” one former US official said.
Earlier this month, US Congressman Andy Harris, who has long been among the staunchest backers of military aid to Ukraine, said it's time to wind down direct military assistance to Kyiv, arguing that Ukraine may have no chance of winning against Moscow.
The US intelligence agencies also warned earlier this month that the counteroffensive would stall before reaching the key southeastern city of Melitopol.
Meanwhile, US military support for Ukraine has divided the nine leading Republican contenders for the top US job.
During the Republican discussion on Thursday, Vivek Ramaswamy said he would not support additional aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
He described Washington’s support for Ukraine as “disastrous” and a distraction from domestic issues.
President Biden, however, keeps pushing Congress to pass a $40 billion emergency spending bill, half of which would be allocated to Ukraine.
A report by Axios also said Wednesday that senior US officials have been in contact with European leaders to reassure them that the supply of military aid will not dry up.
Russia says the West and NATO are playing a direct role in the Ukraine conflict by pouring advanced weapons and military equipment into Ukraine. It has frequently warned that the continued supply of Western arms and military equipment to the Ukrainian military would only prolong the war and add to the suffering of the Ukrainian people.
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