The United States should send Ukraine all the weapons it requests as the Russian invasion reaches a pivotal moment that could change the outcome of the war, some political analysts and lawmakers said Friday.
Ukrainians have mounted fiercer resistance than expected to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invading forces – and the West could sway the war decisively in Ukraine’s favor by now supplying its fighters with heavy weapons, according to reports. experts.
But to help Ukraine win, the United States must take the lead over its NATO allies, given its global stature and massive military resources, said Dalibor Rohac, senior fellow at the ‘American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC.
“In the short term, if you want the Ukrainians to win this war, no one like the United States could do that,” Rohac told the Post.
“My main message is just to do more,” Rohac said. “Send the Ukrainians everything they ask for, don’t be afraid of Putin, and he can really lose this war.”
NATO pledged to send more weapons to help in the conflict on Thursday, amid growing reports of Russian brutality and atrocities against civilians in Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the images and stories of the invasion force’s tactics prompt the Biden administration to “look at all levels right now not only at what we have delivered and what we continue to supply, but if there are additional systems that could make a difference.”
However, some NATO countries remain reluctant to supply weapons that will be considered offensive rather than defensive. Further concerns have been raised about arming Ukrainians with modern high-tech weapons that they have not been properly trained to use.
Retired General Wesley Clark wrote in an op-ed published in The Post on Friday that there is little time to spare to give Ukrainian forces hundreds of thousands of artillery shells, tanks and MiG planes. and Sukhoi.
“Why? Because there is now a window of opportunity – for a week or two perhaps – in which Ukraine can counterattack north, south and east to expel Russian forces. It will require mobile armored forces and air power,” Clark wrote. “And if that window is lost, the future is darker and more uncertain.”
A Ukrainian victory could push Russia out of the country for good, putting Putin on his heels and forcing him to think twice about further conflicts in Georgia, Moldova and elsewhere, Clark said.
Russia’s failure in Ukraine would also give China pause if it decided to launch new military conflicts beyond its borders, he wrote in the article.
There is a crucial window in the coming weeks, military and political experts have said.
Russia is refocusing its attacks on eastern Ukraine, in the Donbass region, after struggling in some northern cities — and there are fears the intensity of the coming offensive could turn the tide in favor of Moscow.
But even if the offensive fails, Putin could agree to a ceasefire by mid-May, with a concession such as the annexation of a chunk of the Donbass region that would allow him to qualify the operation of success, Rohac told the Post.
The Biden administration built its initial arms supply policy on the assumption that Ukraine would be largely defeated and that the resistance would consist mostly of guerrilla-type fighters in occupied territory, he added. But the United States must adapt now that the big picture of war has changed.
“The Ukrainians have a decent chance of completely driving the Russians out of Ukraine and that, for us, would be a priority to get that result.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Biden “got a little too cautious” about Ukraine.
“We have to give Ukrainians everything they want,” he said. an interview on Fox News on Friday. “They have shown that they have the will to fight, the ability to fight and our goal should be to win.”
McConnell said there was “no doubt” war crimes were being committed by Putin’s forces – as he called for more than just talks from the United States.
“Of course, Putin will not be deterred from being called a war criminal,” McConnell said. “He will be deterred on the battlefield… And so what we have to do is give (the Ukrainians) all the useful weapons that they ask for and need to beat the Russians.”
With post wires
