West Knew Ukraine Was Not Prepared for Successful Counteroffensive, WSJ

The West was aware that Ukraine was not adequately prepared for a successful counteroffensive. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal.

When Ukraine began its major counteroffensive this spring, Western military leaders knew that Ukrainian forces lacked the training or arsenal of weaponry, from missiles to military aircraft, necessary to dislodge Russian forces from entrenched positions. Nevertheless, they hoped that the bravery and determination of Ukrainians would still lead to victory.

The publication notes that as the 2024 elections approach, President Biden faces a challenging task of balancing the assistance given to Kyiv with the demands of his re-election campaign.

The indecisiveness of the U.S. increasingly contradicts the sentiments of European leaders, among whom there has been a growing belief in recent months that Ukraine's victory (and Russia's defeat) must be complete to ensure the security of the continent. However, Europe lacks sufficient resources to ensure Ukrainian victory.

According to Western diplomats, European leaders are unlikely to significantly increase support for Kyiv if they sense further weakening of U.S. support.

Despite the fact that Ukrainian pilots have finally received the green light from Washington to begin training on F-16 fighter jets, the U.S. administration has still not granted the necessary approval for supplying these aircraft to the Ukrainian armed forces. The establishment of the required infrastructure for their operation will take months, and analysts believe that Ukrainian F-16s will not be in the sky until next year.

The absence of Ukraine's air defense and aerial weaponry has allowed Russia to maintain air superiority on much of the battlefield, WSJ notes.