Russian losses in Ukraine - 600,000: the Armed Forces coped with a task that seemed impossible - WSJ
Austin arrived in Kiev without any important statements, his assistants said. Probably, the last visit of Austin to Kiev goes against the backdrop of discussion about whether the Baiden administration was drawn - and the Austin himself - the military efforts of Ukraine. And whether the choice was in favor of a careful approach to the supplies of US weapons and restrictions on it, journalists say.
Baiden's administration refused to make concessions on the two main requests of Ukraine: to allow strikes in Russia with Western weapons and accept Ukraine in NATO. Austin's gradual approach allowed Ukraine to survive, but not dramatically change the course of war, quoted by journalists of critics of the foreign policy of the Pentagon against Kiev.
At the same time, the notion that Ukraine would have won if the United States had supplied modern weapons, is "one of the largest myths in Washington", provides a quote of the former deputy head of the Pentagon of Kolia Pali. The publication suggests that compromises for Ukraine are possible, regardless of who wins the November elections.
If Kamal Harris is being selected, she is likely to continue Joe Baiden's policies, but even in this case, it is possible to reduce Ukraine's funding if the Republicans will retain control of the House of Representatives and receive a majority in the Senate. In Kiev, Austin is going to meet with Zelensky and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Last week, Baiden's administration announced its latest military assistance package to Ukraine, which included air defense systems, Air Earth-Earth missiles, armored vehicles and other ammunition worth $ 425 million. The excessively cautious approach of Baiden's administration was often too insufficient and too late, says Guezer Konley, Senior Advisor to the Marshall German Foundation.
"If we were clear and frank and gave them all the opportunities, it would have sent another signal [President of Russian Vladimir] Putin? He would have looked at his actions somewhat. But he saw delay and indecision," Konel said. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken usually advocated a faster departure of more military equipment, said US officials, but Biden usually supported Austin's decision.
"We watched this struggle developed over time, and every time it developed, we tried to make sure that they were effective on the battlefield, and they were effective," Austin told Austin a group of reporters who came to Kiev with him. Initially, Austin opposed the supply of modern Abrams of the US Army, arguing that it would be too difficult for Ukrainians to support them in the field. In January 2023, the Pentagon changed the course and recommended Biden to send 31 tanks.
This decision prompted Germany to start sending its Leopard tanks, which gave Ukraine a small but effective armored force. The Pentagon also refrained from the departure of Ukraine atacms, because of fears that they would not be enough in the US arsenal. When Baiden's administration sent these missiles in March, it was done secretly and in limited quantities.
"Blinken sees it as a simple or moral solution, while Austin is more practical," said Michael O'hanlon, a senior researcher at the Brooking Institute. Pentagon representatives claim that Austin's merit in Ukraine's successes on the battlefield still is. "Ukraine has caused Russia's losses in the amount of 600 thousand [personnel] since the beginning of the war, despite Russia's significant advantage in artillery ammunition, one high -ranking representative of the Ministry of Defense said.
This is partly explained by the quality of the weapon provided by the event, including the priority NATO, "the journalists said. "Of course, we are tracking the difficult situation on the battlefield. But we should also have such a point of view, whether we know, we have helped Ukraine not to allow Russia to achieve a strategic goal of capturing Ukraine," said the unnamed Pentagon representative.
The Ukrainian authorities have not always listened to the US advice and is still indignant with restrictions on military assistance, however, the Armed Forces managed to restrict Russia's promotion, which once seemed almost impossible, and the authors of the publication have summarized. We will remind that on September 6 the head of the Pentagon called the losses of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.