Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Is The West ‘Quietly Shifting’ Its Ukraine Strategy?

President Joe Biden has shifted from promising the U.S. would back Ukraine for “as long as it takes,” to saying the U.S. will provide support “as long as we can” and contending that Ukraine has won “an enormous victory already. | Evan Vucci/AP 

Politico: The Biden Administration Is Quietly Shifting Its Strategy in Ukraine 

For two years, Biden and Zelenskyy have been focused on driving Russia from Ukraine. Now Washington is discussing a move to a more defensive posture. 

With U.S. and European aid to Ukraine now in serious jeopardy, the Biden administration and European officials are quietly shifting their focus from supporting Ukraine’s goal of total victory over Russia to improving its position in an eventual negotiation to end the war, according to a Biden administration official and a European diplomat based in Washington. Such a negotiation would likely mean giving up parts of Ukraine to Russia. 

The White House and Pentagon publicly insist there is no official change in administration policy — that they still support Ukraine’s aim of forcing Russia’s military completely out of the country. But along with the Ukrainians themselves, U.S. and European officials are now discussing the redeployment of Kyiv’s forces away from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s mostly failed counteroffensive into a stronger defensive position against Russian forces in the east, according to the administration official and the European diplomat, and confirmed by a senior administration official. This effort has also involved bolstering air defense systems and building fortifications, razor wire obstructions and anti-tank obstacles and ditches along Ukraine’s northern border with Belarus, these officials say. In addition, the Biden administration is focused on rapidly resurrecting Ukraine’s own defense industry to supply the desperately needed weaponry the U.S. Congress is balking at replacing. 

Read more ....  

Update: West ‘quietly shifting’ Ukraine strategy – Politico (RT) 

 WNU Editor: The military situation on the ground has changed in the past year to favor Russia. If Ukraine was "winning" there would be no shift in Washington's strategy. In fact, Washington would be doubling down.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Captured territory figures for the last 2 days:

Bakhmut area = 0.40km2

Popivske = 0.27km2

Terny = 1.85km2

Marinka = 0.51km2

Total Russian advance (gross) = 2.76km2

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For reference, during the Ukrainian counteroffensive (4 June 2023 - 1 October 2023), the average (gross) Ukrainian advance was 2.73km2 per day.

A huge percentage of the gains during the Tokmak counteroffensive were during the 1st few days in the lightly defended security zone.

Whereas the Ukrainian counteroffensive was a highly advertised grand operation to reach Crimea, these Russian offensives seem to be localized and spur-of-the-moment (capitalizing incidental retreats or successful probe attacks).

Russia is currently making tiny gains, but on some of the hardest points in "Fortress Donbas". The breaking point is near.

Mr Nobody said...

What did zelinski say a month go? The goal for all ukie units was to advance 100 meters per day? Not much.

The reason the progress of this war has been slow is the lack the men and material to conduct "break though" tactics.

What is needed is concentrated air power and artillery power in one specific sector. The mission being to destroy or immobilize all enemy military units in sector.

Example would be Operation cobra in WW2 or the use of MOABs in desert storm 1.

Once you annihilate or cripple all the enemy in-sector you can then use the sector as a blitzkrieg type front.

You then have the ability to by-pass the enemies defensive belts in the adjacent sectors by attacking from behind the defensive lines.

This will force the enemy to retreat and force the enemy to abandon their forward fixed positions.

This is not rocket science. It is classical military strategy to conduct a "sweep" type offensive.

Hit him hard, knock him off balance and cause his forces to be in the reaction and retreat mode. Then do not let him breath.....keep hitting him so he has no time to react or re-group.

You give him time to set up a deliberate defense, you are asking for a bloody nose.

Anyway, we shall see.

Anonymous said...

US is always silent on their strategies. Do not believe what you read, whether it is news article, this blog or any comments.

Anonymous said...

lol okay Volodymyr

Anonymous said...

Oh I think the Ukes will go down a little easier than that

Anonymous said...

Bing bing bing

Anonymous said...

They haven't yet , the 3 day op is turning into 4 years

Anonymous said...

Ah yes, the "3 day operation" as famously predicted by US General Milley. Yet the ukiebots are still falling over themselves to believe the predictions of NATO generals? Why?