() – The top US military commander in Europe listed weapons systems the country possesses that could help Ukraine in its fight against Russia. The list includes air-to-surface missiles and a secure communications network used by NATO, weapons that the Biden administration has not yet provided to the country invaded by Kremlin forces.
In an annex attached to a classified report on the Biden administration’s Ukraine strategy that was delivered to Congress in early September, Gen. Chris Cavoli outlined a list of U.S. weapons that could help Ukraine’s military fight effectively. more effective, according to people familiar with the report.
The list included the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, a type of air-launched cruise missile, and a communications system known as Link 16, a data-sharing network used by the US and NATO that It is supposed to enable more fluid communication between battle systems and is particularly useful for air and missile defense command and control. Ukraine has requested both systems on several occasions, another source familiar with its requests said.
Cavoli’s list does not address why the United States has not provided systems that, in his assessment, would be valuable. U.S. officials have previously raised concerns about the possibility of sensitive U.S. technology falling into Russian hands, which one source said may be the obstacle with the Link 16 system. Air-to-surface missiles, which are fired from fighter jets, might not be useful to the Ukrainians unless they achieve some level of air superiority, the source added.
Nearly three years after the start of the war, the Ukrainians are still calling on the United States to provide more advanced weaponry and lift restrictions on the use of the long-range missile systems they have provided them. And with the US presidential election around the corner, the future of support for Ukraine is uncertain, even as the US says it is working to make sure Ukraine has what it needs to sustain itself at least until end of 2025.
The Government of Ukraine continues to press hard. When President Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Joe Biden at the White House in late September, he arrived armed with a detailed list, not of weapons, but of targets inside Russia that he wants to strike with long-range missiles provided by the United States. , known as ATACMS, according to sources familiar with the meeting.
The list is a key part of Zelensky’s “victory plan” to win the war. Biden, who to date has prohibited the Ukrainians from deploying deep-strike missile systems in Russia, was not completely receptive to the request, the sources said. But in the end he did not commit.
The leaders agreed to continue discussing the issue. But Biden will not meet Zelensky again in the near future, having canceled a trip to Germany for a Ukrainian Defense Contact Group meeting this week, and the United States remains unlikely to change its policy on long-range missiles. officials told .
Overall, U.S. officials say they are giving Ukraine everything the U.S. military assesses Kyiv needs right now to support its fight. Officials also argue that the limited supply of long-range US ATACMS systems are best used against targets in Crimea. The Ukrainians have already carried out several successful attacks inside Russia using their own long-range drones that have damaged Russia’s defense industrial base, US officials note, drones that in fact have a much greater range than the ATACMS.
U.S. officials also say that Russia moved some of its most valuable targets out of the 180-mile range of ATACMS anyway. For their part, the Ukrainians argue that there are many Russian assets within range, including military bases and production and logistics facilities, which would be strategic targets.
As a way to “protect” American security aid in case former President Donald Trump wins in November, the United States and its allies are working on ways to ensure Ukraine has what it needs until the end of 2025. NATO established its own mechanism to facilitate military aid and training, which was launched in July. The Pentagon is also closer to offering contracts to private American companies to travel to the country and help with the maintenance and logistics of equipment there, officials said, a key part of making sure Ukraine’s weapons and equipment do not break down in key moments.
Overall, however, the United States expects 2025 to mark a turning point in Russia’s ability to sustain its own war effort.
Russia has lost hundreds of thousands of fighters in nearly three years of fighting. To make substantial progress on the battlefield, officials have long believed that President Vladimir Putin will need to order another troop mobilization, a politically risky decision. And both U.S. officials and independent analysts say that while the Kremlin has successfully shielded its economy from some of the impact of Western sanctions in the short term, there are some signs that its economy could begin to show signs of strain by the end of this year. 2025.
Putin “always thinks Americans have attention deficit disorder,” CIA Director Bill Burns said during a national security conference in Sea Island, Georgia, on Monday. “This is one of those cases where we have to demonstrate the strength of our support for Ukraine, because the stakes are high.”
Still, critics say the government’s plan for victory in Ukraine remains confusing. According to a source who read the report, the classified strategy delivered to Congress defined the victory only in vague terms of Ukrainian sovereignty and self-determination. In another classified annex, he suggested categories that could be used to judge success, such as territory recovered, but provided no benchmarks.
For now, the situation on the battlefield remains dynamic. Russia has made slow progress in the east of the country, which officials see as Putin’s priority. Ukraine earlier this year seized a large swath of territory inside Russia that it continues to hold, for now, in a move that some officials believe could stretch Kyiv quite far along the front lines in the east.
Add Comment