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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted his army’s counteroffensive against Russian forces was about to “pick up speed”, as he sought to reassure Western governments that had become wary of the slow progress of the operation.
Zelensky said the weeks-long effort to push back Russian forces in Ukraine began later than Kiev had hoped, due to insufficient munitions, weapons and properly trained brigades, giving Russia time to lay mines and build defensive lines.
But Zelensky added that the momentum on the front was about to shift, while reiterating his call for allies to supply more long-range missiles and advanced fighter planes.
“We are approaching a moment when relevant actions can accelerate because we are already passing through some mine sites and clearing mines from these areas,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader was speaking via videoconference to international security chiefs at the four-day Aspen Security Forum, as the pace of the Ukrainian counteroffensive to push back Russian forces in eastern and southern Ukraine dominated the discussions.
Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told Zelensky that the progress of the counterattack was “the question on everyone’s mind here” and “the preoccupation of all your friends in the world”.
Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Adviser, told the audience in Colorado that the results of Ukraine’s military effort will only become clear after Kiev fully commits its forces.
“The moment they make that commitment, we’ll really see what the results of the counterattack will be,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan added that the Ukrainian focus on securing supplies of advanced combat aircraft for the counterattack was misplaced, since strong Ukrainian and Russian air defenses prevented air power from playing a significant role in the conflict.
The view of our military leaders is that the notion that the F-16s will play a critical role in this counterattack is given that basic fact. . . They have a different view than what I’ve heard from some Ukrainian voices.
While officials predicted an optimistic view of Ukraine’s military progress in public, many were less optimistic in private.
“The bad news is that Ukrainians are heading into what could be a winter of discontent,” said Philip Zeljko, a University of Virginia history professor and former diplomat. He pointed to the severe economic impact of the war and the already high cost to the United States and other allies of keeping the Kiev government afloat.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told the Financial Times that the mismatch between Ukrainian expectations and Western commitments was understandable because the West had other priorities while Ukraine had a unique focus.
“There will always be a slight difference in approach between the Ukrainian leadership and other countries, as to what we want to achieve.”
Biden administration officials’ frustration with criticism from Ukraine and other NATO allies about the pace and type of assistance the United States is providing was palpable.
Sen. Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Biden administration has been too slow to field systems like main battle tanks and the cluster munitions that eventually made their way to the battlefield.
“I’m tired of hearing about escalation. Stop talking about escalation. If you don’t escalate, you lose,” he said. “I want (Vladimir) Putin to wake up in the morning worrying about what he’s going to do that will escalate us instead of wringing our hands.”
Sullivan dismissed what he called “caricatures” of the US decision-making process, including ideas that the Biden administration was “sitting around unwilling to deliver things because we worry about the Russians.”
Sullivan said the “sheer volume” of US assistance made it clear that the United States “is willing to take risks and we will continue to be willing to take risks to provide support for Ukraine.”
He also responded to critics who said concern about Russia’s nuclear escalation was a sign of weakness.
“It is the responsibility of every NATO member, including the United States, to think about the Russian reaction when we choose to do something because this is important to our security, and it is important to global stability.”