Ukraine’s top general says US isn’t giving weapons needed for successful counteroffensive
Mike Brest
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The United States is not providing Kyiv with all of the weapons its military needs to successfully push all of Russia’s troops out of their territory, Ukraine’s top military officer, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, said.
The general expressed frustration with the U.S. over the delayed decision to provide his military with fourth-generation fighter aircraft, which likely won’t reach the battlefield until the fall in a best-case scenario, and the amount of ammunition they provided.
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It “pisses me off,” Zaluzhny told the Washington Post, when he hears analysis that Ukraine’s highly anticipated counteroffensive in the southern and eastern regions of the country is resulting in limited success. He said his troops have gained ground every day since it commenced, even if it’s minimal.
“This is not a show,” Zaluzhny continued. “It’s not a show the whole world is watching and betting on or anything. Every day, every meter is given by blood.”
President Joe Biden agreed in mid-May to allow an international coalition of allies to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s, though the plan was never intended to get Ukraine the aircraft in time for the offensive. Denmark and the Netherlands are leading the training program.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine has air superiority, making an offensive much more difficult. Zaluzhny noted that NATO forces’ own doctrine calls for control of the airspace before launching ground-based operations, and said they’ve been outshot in terms of artillery tenfold.
“Without being fully supplied, these plans are not feasible at all,” he added. “But they are being carried out. Yes, maybe not as fast as the participants in the show, the observers, would like, but that is their problem.”
Zaluzhny frequently speaks with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, his U.S. counterpart.
“It’s not Milley who decides whether we get planes or not,” Zaluzhny said. “It’s just that while that decision is being made, in the obvious situation, a lot of people die every day — a lot. Just because no decision has been made yet.”
Biden has also declined to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles that Ukraine could use to strike targets within Russia’s borders, citing concerns of possible Russian escalation. The same concern also prompted the U.S. to delay the F-16 training, among other weapon systems as well.
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The administration is now considering providing an Army Tactical Missile System, a long-range weapon they have repeatedly declined to give them, according to the Wall Street Journal. They have a range of about 190 miles.
“I will tell you I don’t have anything to announce regarding ATACMS,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the spokesman for the Pentagon, said at Thursday’s briefing. “And certainly, I’m not aware of any imminent decisions as it relates to ATACMS.”