Russia's resistance, airpower, and extensive fortifications blocked the Kiev regime's advance and eventually led to Ukraine's counteroffensive stalling. There is a risk of Ukrainian lives and equipment being lost without any shift in momentum, as per a US mainstream media outlet.
The media outlet noted that as the likelihood of any large-scale breakthrough by the Ukrainian forces this year fades, it raises the "unsettling prospect" for Washington and its NATO allies of a "longer war" which would require more armaments and even more training. Under these circumstances, the political calculus for the Biden administration appears especially complicated given the forthcoming election in November 2024.
While the EU is continuing to help Ukraine, European leaders are unlikely to make a significant increase in aid to Ukraine if they feel a lack of enthusiasm from the United States, the newspaper noted.
At the end of June, the Pentagon stated that they initially understood that the counteroffensive would be tough and entail casualties among their ranks. Still, US war planners claimed the Kiev regime was well-equipped.
"Our assessments have been pretty clear from the beginning. We know this is going to be a hard fight. We know this is going to take time. And we are confident that the Ukrainians have what they need," claimed Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh on June 21.
"We have accounted for losses. We know there are going to be losses on the battlefield. That's the unfortunate part of this war," she added.
However, it appears that Washington did not expect that the losses would be so heavy. The long-advertised Ukrainian counteroffensive in the South Donetsk, Artemovsk (Bakhmut), and Zaporozhye directions started on June 4 after months of delays. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky complained in an interview with the Western press earlier this month that the effort couldn't start earlier due to a lack of weaponry.
Kiev deployed NATO-trained brigades armed with Western equipment, including the much-touted Leopard tanks. Shortly after, images of burned and damaged NATO-grade weaponry started to pop up in the media and social networks.
Cluster Bombs, Long Range Missiles and F-16 Won't be Game Changerly disappointed with the results of Ukraine's long-anticipated counteroffensive, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, addressing a Russian Security Council meeting on July 21.
"Neither the colossal resources that were pumped into the Kiev regime, nor the supply of Western weapons, tanks, artillery, armored vehicles and missiles helped. The delivery of thousands of foreign mercenaries and advisers who were most actively used in attempts to break through the front of our army did not help either," Putin said.
Cluster Bombs, Long Range Missiles, and F-16 Won't be Game Changer
Last week, the Russian president commented on the Biden administration's decision to send deadly cluster munitions to Kiev, saying that it is a clear indication that Western ammunition stockpiles are depleted. Sputnik's interlocutors earlier noted that the US-made cluster bombs would not help the Ukrainians shift the balance in their favor during the ongoing counteroffensive. The military analysts suggested that most of these deadly munitions would be used against civilians in Russia's new regions. Previously, the Kiev regime has used long-range Storm Shadow missiles, provided by the UK, to attack civilian infrastructure.
Earlier, the Western media reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had asked for hundreds of US Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) with a range of 190 miles (300 km) in order to destroy Russian command posts and logistics areas far behind front lines.
However, the Pentagon fears that sending enough ATACMS to Ukraine to make a difference on the battlefield "would severely undercut US readiness" for other possible conflicts, according to another American daily. The number of ATACMS in American stockpiles is fixed and is awaiting replacement with the next generation Precision Strike Missile (the Prism). Lockheed Martin produces 500 ATACMS per year, but they are destined for other countries, according to the media.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration announced that US-made F-16 fighter jets would arrive in Ukraine near the end of 2023, following months of ambiguity and seeming reluctance to authorize the supplies. At the same time, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley told the press it would take years and billions of dollars for the West to help Ukraine match the Russian fleet of fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft, train Ukrainian pilots, and facilitate the necessary maintenance.
It's becoming clear that the West's new supplies of arms cannot change the balance of power on the battlefield. Instead, they are protracting the conflict and multiplying casualties among civilians. The botched Ukraine counteroffensive could cost President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies the victory in the ongoing presidential cycle.