When a Democrat organ like Politico announces problems between Washington and Kiev I think you can assume the honeymoon is over and finger-pointing is about to commence.
“Multiple administration officials have begun worrying that Ukraine is expending so much manpower and ammunition in Bakhmut that it could sap their ability to mount a major counteroffensive in the spring.”
The Ukrainians have allowed themselves to be encircled in the ruins of Bakhmut and now it’s believed that at the very least they will have to abandon their heavy weaponry there. And there are real concerns that several thousand men are also trapped there too.
“Meanwhile, an assessment by U.S. intelligence suggested that a “pro-Ukraine group” was responsible for the destruction of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines last fall, shedding light on a great mystery. The new intelligence, first reported by The New York Times, was short on details but appeared to knock down a theory that Moscow was responsible for sabotaging the pipelines that delivered Russian gas to Europe.”
This assertion seems very odd because it’s assumed that the US military blew up these pipelines. Perhaps this is a fairy tale they’re telling to give the German Chancellor cover over his support of Washington. The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines was a crippling blow to the German economy.
“There has also been, at times, frustration about Washington’s delivery of weapons to Ukraine. The United States has, by far, sent the most weapons and equipment to the front, but Kyiv has always looked ahead for the next set of supplies. Though most in the administration have been understanding about Kyiv’s desperation to defend itself, there have been grumblings about the constant requests and, at times, Zelenskyy not showing appropriate gratitude, according to two White House officials not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.”
Regardless of Washington’s intent, the unavailability of artillery rounds in the quantity that would offset the Russians seemingly inexhaustible supply is the sticking point. Russia is grinding down what’s left of the Ukrainian army and even Abrams tanks and Patriot missiles isn’t going to help with this problem. Existential panic is starting to set in. Soon Zelenskyyyyyyyy may begin practicing his impression of Hitler in the bunker. Being a comedian maybe he can make it more entertaining than the version from the movie “Downfall,“
Anyone with any sense knew that Putin had two paths to certain victory over Ukraine. The first was nuclear. We hope that not even Putin is crazy enough to do that, but it remains a possibility. The second path is artillery. He can back his heavy cannons out of range of the Ukrainian forces and shell an area until nothing lives there any longer. Then roll forward and repeat until the Ukrainians surrender. At first, it looked like Putin wouldn’t do this either. That he had sustained such heavy losses that he would turn back. But the world is not… Read more »
That about sums it up. Why our State Dept wants to pick a fight with Russia now that it’s no longer bent on world conquest is a mystery to me. But the same ICBMs are still out there waiting for madness to set them loose. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.