CIA Director William Burns said the new aid to Kiev would help the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) launch an offensive by the end of 2024.
According to his assessment, with the new aid package from the US, Ukraine will be able to hold out in 2024 and 2025. In addition, Mr. William Burns said, military assistance will provide the AFU with the ability to “attack and penetrate Crimea” and act against the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
The CIA director also warned that Ukraine could lose even larger territories if the West stopped supplying weapons to Kiev.
“We will see even more Avdeevka in 2024 if the US does not provide timely aid to Ukraine,” said William Burns, noting that such an outcome would be a historic mistake for the US.
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| US intelligence officials predict that Ukraine could launch a new counterattack in late 2024. Photo: AP |
Avdeevka was taken under the control of Russian forces on February 17. Russian Defense Minister, General of the Army Sergey Shoigu, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the settlement is a powerful defense unit of the AFU, the liberated territory is 31.75 km 2 . Ukrainian losses in the battles for the city in the past 24 hours before its capture amounted to more than 1,500 servicemen.
On the evening of March 11, the White House presented a draft budget for the 2025 fiscal year, while the content did not include a provision to provide Ukraine with “significant” assistance beyond the financial amount currently being discussed by both houses of the US Congress. The corresponding document was published on the US government website.
It should be noted that such a decision was made due to the lack of consensus on the issue of support for Kiev among US lawmakers in the amount of more than $ 61.5 billion. White House officials assessed: "The budget cannot provide important support for Ukraine. This requires Congress to act soon."
Political scientist Stanislav Byshok assessed that Ukraine will not get enough help from other countries instead of US support: “ Even in peacetime, money always has two problems - there is no money or there is not enough money. For Ukraine, the current situation is similar .” Kiev was forced to seek help from other G7 countries, including Japan and Canada.
Regarding this issue, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said that the delay in US aid to Ukraine benefits Russia: " This deadlock gives Russia a strategic advantage and increasingly turns the situation in Moscow's favor ."
Avril Haines pointed out that Russia has significantly increased its production of weapons and military equipment, especially long-range weapons and artillery shells, which will enable the country to withstand a prolonged and intense confrontation. Avril Haines also acknowledged that Russia continues to make progress on the battlefield. This is partly due to the inability of Kiev's Western allies to decide to provide military support to Kiev.
Meanwhile, in the latest statement, Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky said that the country does not need French troops.
In an interview with BFMTV, the Ukrainian president reiterated that Kiev is not a member of NATO. He admitted that Kiev is facing difficulties, especially due to a lack of artillery shells. However, Ukraine does not need foreign troops at the moment. “ As long as Ukraine can hold out, the French army can remain on French territory,” Volodymir Zelensky said.
In late February 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron admitted that EU countries could send troops to help Ukraine. Although Western countries have not yet made a final decision, this scenario cannot be ruled out.
Along with that, Ukraine is also implementing the construction of three 2,000 km long defense lines. Sharing on his personal Telegram channel, Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky said: “An important topic is fortifications. Prime Minister Denis Shmygal’s report on the progress of the construction of new defense lines. The three 2,000 km long defense lines are large-scale projects.”
At the same time, the Ukrainian leader assessed the pace of construction of fortifications as good and expected the timely completion of the defense lines. Earlier, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said that since the beginning of 2024, Kiev has allocated more than half a billion dollars for the construction of defense lines. They are drawn from the state budget reserve fund.
In connection with the leak of German military intelligence, German Air Force Inspector Ingo Gerhartz has released investigative information about conversations between German officers about plans to attack the Crimean bridge.
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| AFU does not want the presence of foreign military forces in Ukraine. Photo: Getty |
German television channel N-TV reported: In a leaked conversation between Bundeswehr officers about the Taurus cruise missile, the second participant dialed the wrong number. Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed this on March 11 after a special meeting of the Bundestag Defense Committee.
Unlike other participants, no data leaks were detected in Inspector Gerharts' call.
Previously, Bild newspaper reported that the head of the operations and exercises department of the Bundeswehr Command, Frank Graefe, who was in Singapore at the time, was the person primarily responsible for the information leak.
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