According to the New York Times, after months the Biden administration is beginning to realize that Kyiv must be able to use American weapons to attack the bases from which Russia is attacking Ukraine. Washington does not believe in a military recapture, but believes it is crucial to the negotiations that Moscow understands that its control of the peninsula is at risk
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW YORK – The official line has not changed: The United States has always recognized that Crimea belongs to Ukraine.
But since the beginning of the war, the White House has carefully avoided supplying Kyiv with weapons to attack Russian installations and troops in the peninsula, asking Zelenskyy not to use American equipment for the purpose.
Things are changing, writes the New York Times.
After months of discussions, the Biden administration is beginning to recognize the need to attack the bases from which Russia is attacking Ukraine, even if it could increase the risk of escalation, according to anonymous US officials consulted by the newspaper .
The White House is beginning to believe that if Russia understands that its control over Crimea is at risk, it could strengthen Kiev’s position in future negotiations.
Discussion is currently over authorizing the possible use of American weapons already in Ukrainian hands – such as Himars missile launchers and Bradley armored personnel carriers – to target supply lines connecting Russia through the occupied cities of Melitopol and Mariupol with the Connect Crimea: damage to the rear would mean it becomes more difficult for the Russians to push the front line forward.
Everything collapses without Crimea, Evelyn Farkas, who covered the Ukraine dossier during the Obama presidency, told the New York Times.
The Bradleys, along with other armored vehicles that France and Germany have agreed to deploy, could therefore be the vanguard of a spring counter-offensive, according to some analysts.
The decision is linked to a desire to avoid a protracted war of attrition, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said during a visit to Washington.
Britain will send fourteen Challenger 2 tanks.
But that doesn’t mean – the New York Times stresses – that the Biden administration believes that Ukraine can retake Crimea militarily (as Zelenskyy repeatedly reiterates: he did so on Thursday morning in Davos).
Furthermore, although Crimea has been hit by the Ukrainians many times, it is not clear how Putin will react if this is done with American weapons.
Tomorrow at the Ramstein summit in Germany, Ukraine’s allies will discuss new aid, including the possible shipment of tanks. According to Politico’s website, the Americans are preparing to send Stryker artillery, ammunition and possibly wheeled armored vehicles, but not M1 Abrams tanks. The decision has been attributed to logistical and tank maintenance issues rather than fears that using them in Ukraine would escalate the conflict.
At the moment, the new aid package does not appear to include long-range munitions for the Himars that would allow them to reach Crimea or Donbass.
Meanwhile, Kyiv is sounding the alarm over Moscow’s intention to launch a new offensive on the Ukrainian capital by mobilizing 500,000 troops, just as joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus began last Monday.
January 19, 2023 (change January 19, 2023 | 10:00)
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