Western allies receive increasingly ’sobering’ news regarding ukrainian counteroffensive, - CNN
The Western allies receive increasingly sobering news about the Ukrainian counteroffensive and call this period the most difficult time of the war.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to CNN.
A few weeks after the launch of the long-awaited counter-offensive, Western officials are giving increasingly "sober" assessments of the ability of Ukrainian troops to liberate significant territory.
"Over the next few weeks, they (the Ukrainians - Ed.) will still see if there is a chance to make some progress. But for them to really make progress that would change the balance of the conflict, I think it's extremely unlikely," an unnamed senior Western diplomat told CNN.
"Our briefings are sobering. We're reminded of the challenges they face," said Congressman Mike Quigley, who recently returned from meetings in Europe with US commanders who trained Ukrainian armoured forces. "This is the most difficult time of the war."
The publication notes that the most difficult thing for the Ukrainian army is to break through the multi-layered Russian defence lines in the South and East, where the enemy has placed tens of thousands of mines. Ukrainian forces suffered staggering losses there, forcing the Ukrainian command to pull back some units to regroup and reduce losses.
"The Russians have a number of defensive lines, and they [Ukrainian forces] haven't really gotten past the first line," a senior Western diplomat said. "Even if they do continue to advance over the next few weeks, if they haven't been able to achieve more in the last seven to eight weeks, what is the likelihood that they will suddenly, with even more depleted forces, be successful? Because the conditions are very difficult."
A senior US official said that the US recognises the difficulties faced by Ukrainian forces, although it remains hopeful that progress will be restored.
"We all recognise that the counteroffensive is harder and slower than anyone would like, including the Ukrainians, but we still believe there is time and space for them to make progress," the official said.
Numerous officials stated that the approach of autumn, when weather conditions are expected to deteriorate, is limiting the time available to the Ukrainian armed forces.
In addition, Western officials say the slow progress has exposed the difficulty of transforming Ukrainian forces into joint mechanised combat units, sometimes with only eight weeks of training on Western-supplied tanks and other new weapons systems. The lack of progress on the ground is one reason why Ukrainian forces are more likely to strike on Russian territory "to try to demonstrate Russia's vulnerability," a senior US military official said.
These assessments have replaced the optimism that prevailed at the start of the counter-offensive. Officials call these expectations "unrealistic" and are now beginning to pressure Ukraine to start peace talks, including considering territorial concessions.
"Putin is waiting for this. He can sacrifice people and buy time," Quigley said.
