Biden’s reputation hangs on Kyiv’s counteroffensive – Politico – RT World News
The White House is watching the ongoing spate of fighting in Ukraine with anticipation, US officials told the newspaper.
Washington’s future military support for Ukraine and President Joe Biden’s reputation largely hinge on the outcome of Kiev’s counteroffensive against Russian forces, senior US officials told Politico.
The White House “looking anxiously” kyiv’s attempts to regain territories it lost to Russia, the US newspaper reported on Thursday.
If the counteroffensive succeeds, Ukraine will be able to count on additional military and economic aid from the United States and its allies, but if it fails, Western support could dry up, with Kiev facing appeals to find a quick diplomatic resolution to the conflict, the report said.
Five US officials, who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity, acknowledged they were unsure whether lawmakers would vote for more aid to President Vladimir Zelensky’s government when funds approved last year run out. House Republicans could use any setback by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to derail Democrats’ efforts to increase military aid, they pointed out.
According to the outlet, Washington is growing increasingly unhappy with Ukrainian attacks inside Russia, such as an attempted drone strike on the Kremlin in early May and the assassinations of military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky and journalist Darya Dugina. These measures taken by Kyiv have led to “several private and severe reprimands behind the diplomatic scenes”, he added.
Political uncertainty in the United States and developments on the ground in Ukraine are among “growing concerns that could sully Biden’s hoped-for triumphant return to the world stage” at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July, officials said.
The rally in the Lithuanian capital will be a “key moment” for the US leader, who will face questions about US security guarantees for Kiev, deliveries of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and his possible NATO membership, Politico pointed out.
When meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi SuNak on Thursday, Biden expressed his belief that the administration “have the necessary funding to support Ukraine for as long as it takes” and that this support will be “real.”
Earlier today, senior US officials told CNN that the AFU had suffered “important” casualties in its failed attempts to mount a counter-offensive against Russian forces over the past week. Kyiv troops met “stronger resistance than expected” trying to break through the Russian lines, they said.
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According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Ukraine has lost around 5,000 soldiers and 100 tanks in combat since Sunday.
RT
