US wants Ukraine to go all in on counteroffensive, take all risks: FT
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A Financial Times report says as the White House is urging Kiev to utilize all forces and capabilities in the southern front, Washington is also preparing for an attrition war.
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Ukrainian soldiers ride on an armored vehicle in Novostepanivka, Kharkov region, September 19, 2022 (AFP)
Failure of Ukraine's counteroffensive strategy has led to tensions between Washington and Kiev, with the United States pushing for a more aggressive attack on the southern fronts, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
The US appears to be preparing for a war of attrition as limited progress is achieved on the battlefield, the report added.
American officials called on Kiev to steer the fight away from the eastern direction and focus all its capabilities in the south, urging their ally to take all risks required without holding back.
Read more: West rethinking plan to root for Ukrainian counteroffensive
According to FT, the administration of President Joe Biden is quietly preparing for a war of attrition in Ukraine, which might extend into 2024.
Rep. Andy Harris, Ukraine Caucus co-chair in the House of Representatives, said in a meeting a few days ago that the counteroffensive has failed and that US aid to Kiev must be cut.
“Is this more a stalemate? Should we be realistic about it? I think we probably should,” he said during a voters meeting near Washington.
"I’ll be blunt, it’s [spring offensive] failed," he added. “I’m not sure it’s winnable anymore.”
Read more: CIA informs Blinken of Ukraine counteroffensive failure: Hersh
Harris shared many concerns regarding continued assistance to Kiev, including the risk of “World War III” if Ukraine is admitted to NATO and the rising cost of support, which the United States can't keep up with given its difficult economic situation, according to the politician.
“I’m sorry, we don’t have that kind of money,” he declared.
“I think the time has come to realistically call for peace talks. I know President Zelenskyy doesn’t want it,” Harris commented. “But President Zelenskyy, without our help, he would abjectly lose the war. And with our help, he’s not winning. It’s a stalemate now."
In another report, Newsweek claimed earlier this week that Kiev was misled by its military leadership on the true extent of the country's losses in the counteroffensive.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling on his Western allies for months to provide his military with long-range missiles, arguing that this could drastically improve the outcome of the counteroffensive. But before that, it was the anti-air missiles, the advanced offense tanks, heavily armored troop carriers, and the HIMARS system.
Read more: Ukrainian weapons, systems losses rate on the frontline up to 20%: NYT
However, US officials admit that their stock of tactical ballistic missiles is not enough to supply the amount needed to make a significant difference on the battlefield.
Samuel Charap, a senior political expert at the Rand Corporation, said he doubted anyone can claim that Ukraine's counteroffensive is going well, nor there is an effective plan B.
"There are no magic wands," he said.
“It’s hard to make the case that long-range strike [missiles] can fix the problem of minefields or all these defenses.”
