US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky hold a joint press conference on December 21, 2022 at the White House (Photo: Getty).
According to Politico news site, the US and Ukraine have shown solidarity as President Joe Biden's administration pledged to support Kiev as long as it needs to deal with Russia.
However, Politico quoted 10 US officials, experts, and congressmen as saying that after more than a year of fighting, differences between the US and Ukraine seem to have grown regarding the goals of the war, tactics at hot spots, and when the fighting could end.
For the past nine months, Russia has targeted Bakhmut, a Ukrainian stronghold in the Donbass. The West believes the city has no strategic value enough to influence the outcome of the war. Both Russia and Ukraine are pouring resources into the city and have suffered heavy losses in fierce fighting.
Despite Russia's tightening grip on Bakhmut, Ukraine is still determined to hold out against Moscow's advance, even though Kiev is paying a heavy price.
According to Politico, US officials have expressed concern that Ukraine is sending so many ammunition and personnel to Bakhmut to counter Russia that this could affect their ability to launch a major counteroffensive in the spring.
"I certainly don't want to underestimate the tremendous effort that the Ukrainian soldiers and leaders have put in to defend Bakhmut - but I think the city has more symbolic value than strategic value," said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
So far, Ukraine has put the US's opinion aside because Kiev believes they are weakening Russia's strongest force in Bakhmut.
The strategy in Bakhmut appears to be just one part of the disagreement between the US and Ukraine, according to Politico .
The US newspaper quoted sources as saying that Washington seems to be unhappy with Ukraine's repeated calls for weapons aid. The US has provided Ukraine with more than $113 billion in aid, including tens of billions of dollars in weapons, but Kiev continues to ask for more even though Washington is facing a shortage of some weapons.
"There have been complaints within the US administration about the constant requests from Ukraine and that Kiev sometimes fails to show adequate gratitude for US aid," Politico quoted two unnamed White House officials as saying.
In addition, the goal of ending the war is also a point of disagreement between the US and Ukraine.
Politico quoted sources as saying that US officials are concerned that Ukraine's determination to regain the Crimean peninsula could prolong the war and even escalate the situation dangerously.
Earlier this year, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, warned that an invasion of Crimea would be “very, very difficult,” while the Pentagon reportedly told Congress that Ukraine did not yet have the capability to conduct such an operation.
"Biden has stressed that the US will let Ukraine make its own decisions regarding the war. But in Washington, there are opinions about how long this can continue as the war continues to escalate," Politico said.
There is now bipartisan support for Ukraine within the United States, but it is far from certain that it will last indefinitely. Some Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, have expressed skepticism about the US spending so much money on Ukraine without knowing where the war will end and when.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Kiev must take control of all of its territory, including Crimea, before any peace talks can take place. Politico quoted sources as saying that this insistence could lead to a prolonged war with no end in sight. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Kiev that Crimea would be a red line for Russia and that crossing it could lead to a dangerous escalation of the war.
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