Without major gains, Ukrainian officials fear the flow of Western weapons may dry up<\/p>\n\n\n\n
US officials are telling their Ukrainian counterparts that Washington\u2019s support for their war effort hinges on the success of the ongoing counteroffensive against Russian forces, Politico reported on Thursday. The offensive has failed so far, with Ukrainian losses counted in the thousands.
US President Joe Biden has repeatedly promised to back Ukraine \u201cfor as long as it takes.\u201d However, when Ukrainian officials recently asked the US State Department and National Security Council whether they could count on this support to continue through next year\u2019s election season and a potential change of power in the White House, they were told \u201clet\u2019s see how the counteroffensive goes,\u201d Politico reported.
Ukraine\u2019s former deputy prime minister, Ivanna Klimpush-Tsintsadze, told the US news site that these talks left her feeling anxious about the \u201ccontinuation of the same level of US support to Ukraine after this financial year,\u201d which ends in September.
After months of mixed messages from Kiev \u2013 and reports of depleted stockpiles and general unreadiness in the Western media \u2013 Ukrainian forces launched their long-awaited counteroffensive against Russian forces almost two weeks ago. Attacking multiple sections of the frontline in Donetsk and Zaporozhye Regions, Ukraine has so far failed to penetrate Russia\u2019s multi-layered defensive trenches, minefields, and anti-tank obstacles.
With Ukraine\u2019s Western-provided air defense systems degraded by constant missile and drone attacks, Russian air support has acted with impunity, inflicting devastating losses on the Ukrainian forces. As of Wednesday, Russia\u2019s Defense Ministry counted 7,500 dead or wounded Ukrainian troops, not including those hit by high-precision missiles and airstrikes deep behind the front lines.
Videos of wrecked Western tanks and armored vehicles have circulated online, and Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Wednesday that Kiev has lost \u201cat least 160 tanks and 360 armored vehicles.\u201d The hardware destroyed by Russian troops accounts for between 25% and 30% of all Western military equipment supplied to Ukraine, the president estimated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n