The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, said that the new strategy of the administration of US President Joe Biden will "discourage" Ukraine from regaining "lost territories" this year, but instead focus on maintaining Kiev's military potential in the conflict with Russia.
Washington Post sources also mentioned referendums in Russian-annexed Ukrainian territories in 2022.
The Biden administration is "still reeling" from Kiev's failed counteroffensive in 2023, the source added, prompting Washington to "implement a new strategy" that includes helping Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky strengthen his military and economy after losing much of the aid from his ally.
Ukraine's losses after 6 months of counter-offensive forced the US to change its support strategy for Kiev. (Photo: Sputnik)
“The new plan for Kiev represents a dramatic shift in Washington’s stance from last year, when US and allied troops rushed sophisticated training and equipment to Kiev in the hope of quickly repelling Russian forces,” the Washington Post source added.
One source added that it is clear that the Ukrainian armed forces will hardly be able to achieve maximum support from Western allies in 2024. Instead, Kiev must maintain its current achievements and minimize losses in terms of both personnel and equipment.
Russian Defense Minister General Sergei Shoigu said in late December that the Russian armed forces had achieved their main goal of last year by stopping Ukraine's summer counteroffensive.
"The main goal of the special military operation in 2023 is to prevent the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which was made public by Ukraine and its NATO allies at the beginning of the year. This task has been successfully completed," Minister Shoigu emphasized.
The statement came after Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces General Valery Gerasimov told reporters that Ukraine had lost about 160,000 troops and more than 3,000 armored vehicles, including 766 tanks, as well as 121 planes and 23 helicopters on all fronts during the six-month counteroffensive.
Tra Khanh (Source: Sputnik)
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