- “U.S. and other Western officials have hoped that a significant Ukrainian breakthrough could bruise Russian forces enough to bring President Vladimir Putin to a negotiating table as soon as this winter for serious talks about some kind of settlement.
- Chances of that happening now appear slim, diplomats say.“
- "The U.S. Army is committed to and will succeed at maintaining our stocks sufficient for training and readiness of the U.S. Army, while also supporting our ally, Ukraine, with what they need, working as part of an international team to make sure that happens," Bush said.
"That's the result of decades of work by thousands of people to make sure our equipment is tested well and also that our industry partners produce it, critically, at a high level of quality," Bush said.
- "Lots of countries can produce. The United States produces the best in terms of quality. I think we are seeing that, and I think that speaks well of our industry partners."
--- Pentagon Announces $200M in Security Assistance for Ukraine
In addition, package includes the following capabilities:
- 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;
- 120mm tank ammunition;
- Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
- Javelin and other anti-armor systems and rockets;
- 37 tactical vehicles to tow and haul equipment;
- 58 water trailers;
- Over 12 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades;
- Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing; and
- Spare parts, maintenance, and other field equipment.
- To date, the Biden administration has committed more than $43 billion in security assistance since Russia launched its full-on invasion,
- and more than $46.1 billion in security assistance since Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
- Norwegian arms maker Kongsberg Aerospace and Defense has been awarded a contract worth nearly $71 million to deliver a new mobile short-range anti-drone system to Ukraine, the Norwegian Defense Ministry announced Monday.
- The CORTEX Typhon Counter-UAS system is built on Dingo mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) armor transport vehicles and will include software and hardware from Teledyne Flir and Kongsberg, a Kongsberg Remote Weapon Station (RWS) and the CORTEX Integrated Combat Solution (ICS).
- The Norwegian government has donated two Dingo MRAPs, the Kongsberg RWS and weapons, it added.
It is unclear how many of the systems will be delivered. Kongsberg declined to provide additional details on how many or when they might be delivered. Ukraine remains in major need of drone and short-range air defenses, especially highly mobile types that can work along the front lines. . .
Ukraine Situation Report: Spring Counteroffensive May Be Needed
With the current counteroffensive moving slowly, some Western officials say the timeline for success may shift to next year.
"Given the slow pace of Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive, some Western military strategists and policymakers are beginning consider a spring offensive in 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported.
- Ukraine has been making incremental gains, especially in towns along the Mokri Yaly River in Donetsk Oblast.
"In the direction of Urozhayne, further south and southeast of Staromayorske of the Donetsk region, [Ukrainian troops] were successful, they are taking hold of the achieved boundaries," Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on her Telegram channel Monday.
That advance is less than a mile from Staromayorsk, which was liberated about nearly three weeks ago.
The advances have come at a tremendous cost in personnel and equipment and any hopes from the White House that Ukraine will soon regain the territory Russia still holds in the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and all of Crimea may be waning.
“I do think there’s a realization in the administration that Ukraine’s not going to be regaining all its territory any time soon,” Ivo Daalder, President Barack Obama’s former ambassador to NATO, told the publication.
- “U.S. and other Western officials have hoped that a significant Ukrainian breakthrough could bruise Russian forces enough to bring President Vladimir Putin to a negotiating table as soon as this winter for serious talks about some kind of settlement.
- Chances of that happening now appear slim, diplomats say.“
The Biden administration continues to insist that it will back Ukraine for the long haul.
- However, with the U.S. presidential election slated for November, 2024, there are increasing concerns about just how long support for Ukraine will last. Donald Trump, who has suggested he plans to curtail aid to Ukraine, is the Republican front-runner.
Still, many in the GOP still back aid for Ukraine, the Journal noted.
"In votes last month on defense appropriations, five amendments proposed by House Republicans close to Trump that would have cut aid to Ukraine were defeated by wide margins after more than 130 Republicans voted alongside all Democrats in rejecting them."
“I think that bodes extremely well for support,” said Daalder, the former NATO ambassador.
What this support looks like come next spring remains to be seen. We will continue to closely watch this situation and provide updates when warranted.
Moscow has repeatedly denounced foreign arms transfers to Kiev, arguing the weapons will only prolong the bloodshed and increase the risk of triggering a wider conflict.
Pentagon unveils another arms package for Ukraine
- Military officials outlined the new aid on Monday night, saying Kiev would also receive “critical” ammunition for the US-made Patriot air defense and HIMARS rocket artillery systems, 120mm tank shells, TOW missiles, Javelin rockets and 12 million rounds of small arms ammunition, among other equipment.
- At the time, the Pentagon said the newly “found” resources would “go back into the pot of money” and finance future aid packages.
The latest military assistance comes as Ukrainian forces scramble to punch through powerful Russian defenses erected across a 600-mile (1,000km) front line, part of a foundering counteroffensive launched in June. On Sunday, Kiev’s Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov said troops were being slowed by large Russian mine fields, calling them a “serious obstacle” to the operation.
Following a meeting of 54 nations that support Ukraine held last July, several European NATO members agreed to help train and equip new engineering teams.
- However, at the time Reznikov said more assistance would inevitably be needed, with some Ukrainian commanders describing Western sapper gear as “ineffective.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Biden Administration Announces Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine
__________________________________________________________________________________
.jfif)
No comments:
Post a Comment