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Washington Post: US set to back Ukraine war into next year and beyond

Ukrainian soldiers fire a M777 howitzer toward Russian positions on the front line in eastern Ukraine. (Photo by Getty Images)

Most senior US officials have decided to continue to extend Washington’s support to the Kiev government to carry on with the proxy war against Russia despite Ukraine’s faltering counteroffensive, The Washington Post reports.

According to the paper, they are not considering diplomacy and are expected to back Ukraine against Russia into next year and beyond by sending Kiev more weapons and munitions.

“I heard this same sentiment across all levels of the US government in recent days. The summer has been frustrating and, in some ways, disappointing for Ukraine and its Western backers. But rather than look for a quick diplomatic exit ramp, most senior US officials appear more convinced than ever of the need to stand fast with Kyiv. The United States, in their view, cannot be seen to abandon its ally,” Washington Post columnist David Ignatius wrote.

Ignatius said while the US thinks Ukraine could still do some damage to Russian forces it doesn’t expect a “decisive blow.”

“US officials believe strategic patience remains the best weapon against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“That means a continuation of this grueling war into 2024 and beyond and a continuation of the heavy casualties and emotional trauma for both sides,” Ignatius said.

While the US has already sent widely-banned cluster munitions to Ukraine to help in its counteroffensive against Russia, Ignatius said the US may send more types of cluster munitions, which can kill and maim civilians for decades after the war.

“There’s growing backing in Washington for providing rocket-launched cluster munitions, for example, which could strike deeper than the artillery-fired versions the United States began supplying last month,” Ignatius wrote.

The columnist said the US is expecting Ukraine to increase drone attacks on Russian territory

Since Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022 to stop NATO’s eastward expansion, the US-led Western countries have supplied Kiev with tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons.

Before the Ukrainian counteroffensive, launched in early June with the core objective of severing Russia’s land bridge to Crimea, Kiev was provided with an extra-huge supply of arms and munitions in an attempt to further help Ukrainian forces make headway against the Russian troops.

The ex-Soviet republic is now waiting to receive US-made F-16 warplanes as Washington is still pressing Kiev to push the Ukrainian forces harder and concentrate the troops to make a push toward the Sea of Azov in the south.

Russia has repeatedly called on the West to refrain from sending weapons to Kiev, warning that it would only exacerbate the situation.

In the meantime, there have been many reports that US officials do not believe the Ukrainian forces have any chance of victory against the superior Russian army.

One senior US senator went as far as comparing Kiev forces to children in a juniors’ team competing against Moscow’s college team adults.

On the other hand, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has rejected the idea of implementing a ceasefire to shift from fighting to finding a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine-Russia conflict. 

Analysts say the war in Ukraine provides the pretext for the officials of Western countries to continue sending weapons to Ukraine and that the winner of the war is the US military-industrial complex and other arms manufacturers.


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