Plans are underway for a Ukrainian offensive to recapture Russian-held territory. US Secretary of State Blinken sees Ukraine prepared for this. However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba warned against too high expectations.
According to the US government, Ukraine has all the necessary resources for an expected counter-offensive to recapture areas occupied by Russia. “They have everything they need to be successful in retaking territory that Russia has seized by force over the past 14 months,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news conference with his British counterpart James Cleverly in Washington .
Earlier, the US government announced another US$1.2 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. The new US aid is intended in particular to strengthen Ukrainian air defense and meet ammunition needs, the US State Department said. The US is also sending additional artillery shells and support for the maintenance of existing weapon systems.
“Plans for offensive underway”
According to Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer, Ukraine is making progress with preparations for a counter-offensive. “It was explained to me how the front-line battle is being fought. The ground is still muddy and damp. There are still large lakes in some of the fields. The conditions for a comprehensive offensive have not yet been in place in recent weeks,” said Breuer the dpa news agency after a visit to Ukraine. “But it has become clear to me in all conversations that plans for the Ukrainian offensive are underway.”
The highest-ranking German soldier was in Ukraine last week and met army chief Valeriy Saluschnyj and Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov there. The “Leopard 2” battle tank is now being used in battles, Breuer said. “What was made clear to me is that he is in combat.” He didn’t experience any war-weariness, “but an almost irrepressible will not only to end this war, but also to win it.”
Kuleba dampens expectations of the offensive
However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warns against too high expectations. “Don’t think of this counter-offensive as the last, because we don’t know what will come of it,” he told the “Bild” newspaper. Only if this offensive succeeds in liberating the Russian-occupied areas will it be the last. “But if not, that means we have to prepare for the next counter-offensive.”
Kuleba emphasized that Ukraine needs significantly more armaments for its fight against the Russian occupying forces. “Because to win the war you need guns, guns and more guns,” he said.
Much depends on Germany, which, with the armaments group Rheinmetall, has “a kind of titan of the armaments industry in Europe and probably in the world”. In addition to ammunition, tanks and anti-aircraft systems, Ukraine primarily needs combat aircraft. Unlike the Leopard tanks, the decision to procure modern F16 fighter jets does not lie with Germany, but with the USA.