The Biden administration is "quietly preparing" for the fact that if Ukraine's spring counteroffensive does not live up to expectations, critics inside the United States and allies abroad will claim that Washington "didn't manage either."
About it reports POLITICO.
Publicly, Joe Biden's administration has declared unwavering support for Ukraine, promising to provide it with weapons and financial aid. But if the U.S. military counteroffensive brings "limited gains," U.S. officials have privately expressed fears that they will face "a two-headed monster attacking them from the hawk and dove sides of the spectrum."
One side in Washington will say that Ukraine could have succeeded if the administration had given Zelensky everything he asked for, namely longer-range missiles, fighter jets and more air defense assets. The other side will argue that Ukraine's shortcomings prove that it cannot completely oust Russia from its territory.
That doesn't even take into account the reactions of America's allies, mainly in Europe, who may find peace talks between Ukraine and Russia a more attractive option if Kyiv can't prove victory is just around the corner.
Inside the administration, officials stress that they are doing everything possible to make the spring offensive a success.
"We've pretty much met the requests for what [Ukraine] said they needed for a counteroffensive as we've increased weapons and equipment into Ukraine over the last few months," said one administration official who, like the others, spoke on condition of anonymity. to discuss sensitive issues.
But faith in a strategic business is one thing. Believing in tactics is another thing, and behind closed doors the administration worries about what Ukraine can achieve.
Recently, these fears became public during the leak of classified information on social networks.
