The Biden administration and European officials have reportedly begun shifting their strategy for Ukraine from achieving a complete victory over Vladimir Putin’s invading forces to strengthening Ukraine’s position at the negotiating table.
In the wake of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s stalled counteroffensive, and the increasingly difficult bid for more aid from the United States and Europe, officials are shifting their focus toward shoring up Ukraine’s defensive fortifications in the east, a U.S. official said. Biden administration and a European diplomat. he told Politico.
The move, which will strengthen air defense systems and build new works along the eastern front and the country’s northern border with Belarus, is aimed at helping the Ukrainians as they enter negotiations to end the nearly two-year war.
“That has been our theory of the case all along: The only way this war ultimately ends is through negotiation,” the official, a White House spokesperson who was granted anonymity by Politico, told the outlet. “We want Ukraine to have the strongest possible hand when that happens.”
President Biden’s administration has reportedly begun to move away from demanding a complete victory over Russia and is instead pushing for Ukraine to adopt a more defensive posture. AFP via Getty Images The war is approaching its second year and has reached a stalemate between the Russian invaders and the Ukrainian defenders. Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
“We want them to be in a stronger position to hold their territory,” the spokesman continued, adding that peace talks have not yet started.
“It’s not that we are discouraging them from launching any new offensive.”
However, publicly the White House and Pentagon denied the policy change and said they still support Ukraine’s ultimate goal of completely expelling Russian armies from the country, Politico reported.
Ukrainian civilians have been injured, killed and kidnapped by Russian invaders. AP
The National Security Council warned that the United States is “approaching the end of our ability” to provide more military assistance to Ukraine, but insisted that the Biden administration remains “very focused on helping.” [Ukraine] in attack and defense.”
“We have literally daily conversations with the Ukrainians about the battlefield, about what their needs are and what their intentions are,” John Kirby, head of strategic communications at the National Security Council, told Politico in a previous interview.
The administration cannot publicly back down because since the start of the war it has been said to fully support Ukraine’s efforts to get rid of Russian soldiers.
But President Biden has stopped promising that the United States will stand by Ukraine “for as long as it takes,” and instead has said he will stand by the country “for as long as we can.”
Bolstering Ukraine’s defenses could help the country when peace talks begin, officials told Politico. REUTERS
He has also said that Ukraine has already won a “huge victory” that hampered Putin’s plans.
Experts believe this means Ukraine may have to settle for a ceasefire with Moscow, which could leave Ukraine divided, according to Politico.
“Time has become a major liability when it comes to Ukraine’s manpower and industrial capacity, and that is true even if the West continues to support it,” said George Beebe, former head of Russia analysis for the CIA and now Quincy’s chief strategist. Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told the outlet.
“The longer this goes on, the more we will have to compromise from the beginning just to get the Russians to the negotiating table.”
Others think that adopting a defensive strategy will help Ukraine in the long term.
“Adopting a defensive posture is very likely to allow the Ukrainians to conserve resources while making future Russian progress appear unlikely,” said co-author Anthony Pfaff, an intelligence expert at the U.S. Army War College. from a study that predicted the years of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. ago, he told Politico.
The Russians invaded the country in February 2022. The war has continued since then. fake images
The European Union could also try to move more quickly on Ukraine’s membership in NATO, which could put the Ukrainians in a better negotiating position despite the military stalemate.
But it would also likely infuriate Putin, who claimed that Ukraine’s desire to join the alliance was one of the reasons it invaded in the first place.
Biden still supports Ukraine’s entry into the treaty organization, Kirby said.
“President Biden has been very clear that NATO will be in Ukraine’s future,” he insisted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may have to make a deal and give up a fifth of the country that the Russians have already taken. AP
Putin might also be willing to strike a deal, Politico said, especially if he is allowed to keep the fifth of Ukraine his forces have already taken.
But that news, first reported last week by the New York Times, appears to have been met with skepticism by the Biden administration.
“I am not aware of any serious discussions at this time,” the spokesperson said.
Kirby said Putin must make the first move, and he hasn’t done so yet.
“While we would all like this war to end immediately,” Kirby said, Putin “has shown no indication of engaging in good faith negotiations.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn