NYT: The United States has come to the conclusion that it is necessary to change the strategy for arming Ukraine The United States is forced to change the strategy of military support for Ukraine, writes The New York Times.
The frozen conflict is beneficial to Moscow, but not beneficial to Washington, the newspaper's observers are sure. Therefore, the United States and allied countries will seek to change the dynamics of hostilities, while trying to find a balance between supporting Kiev and unwillingness to provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin. For more information, see the material "Newspapers.Ru".
The New York Times columnists Julian Barnes and Eric Schmitt are sure that the United States and other Western countries are discussing the need to change the strategy for arming Ukraine. "American government analysts began the year with a forecast of deadlock as a likely outcome of the conflict by 2023. Concerned that the frozen conflict is beneficial to Russia, the United States and its allies in recent weeks have begun more serious discussions about how to change the dynamics of hostilities in favor of Ukraine," the column says.
The publication calls the decisions on new military assistance to Kiev a "delicate balance" for the White House and the NATO alliance: they want to give Kiev the opportunity to break the deadlock on the battlefield, but they also do not want to provoke President Vladimir Putin and fear an escalation of the conflict.
In the first year of the conflict, Russia and Ukraine shelled each other's positions with artillery, but there were also tank operations in small numbers. "Tanks were used in the counteroffensive near Kharkov, but one of the most important weapons were high-speed armored combat vehicles," the authors of the material point out.
"At the next stage of the conflict, the Ukrainian military will target the trenches of Russian units," they add.
New deliveries
As military analysts emphasize, 109 Bradley combat vehicles promised by Washington can play an important role out of the recently announced supplies to Ukraine from Western countries. This technique is likely to be combined with German Leopard tanks to form new Ukrainian armored units.
Former American intelligence officer Andrea Kendall-Taylor, now working at the Center for a New American Security, said that the supply of tanks will demonstrate that the flow of weapons from the West is growing, not weakening.
And for Ukraine, the supply of tanks will be a "great moral boost." "This is a vote of confidence that people are still interested in Ukraine winning back its territory and are not pushing it to negotiate," Kendall-Taylor concluded.
Abrams and Leopard
On January 25, the German authorities confirmed that they would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, as well as give other countries permission to re-export. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Leopard 2 tanks will be sent to Ukraine "by the end of March."
On the same day, US President Joe Biden announced his decision to transfer 31 Abrams tanks as part of assistance to Ukraine. The new aid package will also include ammunition, spare parts and training of Ukrainian crews.
According to the politician, the supply of tanks "will increase Ukraine's ability to defend its territory and achieve its strategic goals." At the same time, these tanks are "extremely difficult to operate and maintain." Therefore, Biden agreed to provide Kiev with spare parts and equipment for cars.
Abrams tanks, as specified in Washington, will not be removed from the Pentagon warehouses, but will be contracted for service on the balance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On January 27, the coordinator of the White House Security Council's strategic communications, John Kirby, clarified that Abrams "will not be in Ukraine soon."
According to the Washington Post, the APU will face a number of difficulties after receiving the "national solyanka" from European Leopard and American Abrams: they have different ammunition, management and maintenance features, and will also be delivered at different times.
Leonid Tsvetaev