Ukraine's counteroffensive was doomed from the start and the US knew
3 Min Read
The US should push Ukraine's leaders to reassess the situation and cut their losses short.
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Servicemen belonging to the Ukrainian storm brigade "Bureviy", rest as they take part in military exercises outside Kiev, Ukraine, April 20, 2023. (AFP)
The US knew that Ukraine lacked military capabilities, including the necessary training and weapons, to carry out a successful counteroffensive, however, this did not stop it from greenlighting the campaign, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Western military officials put their hopes on Ukrainian "courage and resourcefulness" to carry out the attack. In reality, Ukrainian forces have found it extremely difficult to advance on the frontline and suffered huge losses in lives and equipment.
The report also reveals that Kiev lacked "the mass, training, and resources" to take on the offensive military campaign.
Daniel Larison, a writer for Responsible Statecraft, asks why the US did "not do more to discourage the effort that now appears to be stalling."
The writer suggests that the US should now "be actively seeking a ceasefire to help Ukraine lock in the gains that it has already made before Ukrainian forces suffer more losses in an effort that will achieve little."
Larison believes that if the US does not act now, the situation will become more regrettable for Kiev, as Russian forces continue to deal heavy losses among enemy lines, including the destruction of state-of-the-art Western armored vehicles.
He says that the "prudent and responsible move of compromising is never popular," as it comes with political risks, but it remains the better choice than extending the war in Ukraine.
The writer stressed that the Ukrainian attempts to gain territories freed by Russian forces from the start of the Special Military Operation will lead to "Russian escalation and Ukrainian exhaustion," pushing Kiev's forces behind the areas they currently hold.
Larinson suggests that Ukraine reassess its understanding of a victory, saying that its belief that victory is represented in the "recapture of all Ukrainian territory," is unrealistic. Instead, he pushed for negotiations to begin as soon as possible and minimize Ukrainian losses.
"Refusing to negotiate with an adversary, whether out of pride or ideological hostility to diplomacy, is usually self-defeating," the writer said.
Larinson echoed the words of RAND Corporation scholar Samuel Charap, who said that "there is no plausible path to ending the war that does not entail engaging Moscow."
"How the U.S. and its allies act now will help to decide whether Ukraine is consigned to the fate of becoming another Syria or not. Halting the fighting as soon as possible is the best way to keep Ukraine from suffering that outcome," Larinson concluded.
Read more: Ukraine losses at least 10,000 drones a month: The Washington Post
