European partners are putting pressure on the administration of US President Joe Biden to further loosen restrictions on the use of American weapons by the Ukrainian military for strategic purposes on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Points of attention
- European partners are pressuring the US to relax restrictions on Ukraine's use of American weapons for strategic strikes against the Russian Federation.
- The policy change has enabled Ukraine to improve its combat performance and reduce the fire superiority of Russian occupiers in the Kharkiv region.
- The Ukrainian military is employing a defensive strategy and is awaiting further arms deliveries from Western partners to counter Russian aggression.
- To effectively halt the Russian troops' offensive, Ukraine requires at least 130 F-16 fighters to be transferred to its military forces.
- The Biden administration is facing pressure from both European allies and Democratic congressmen to adjust its stance on allowing Ukraine to utilize American weapons in the conflict.
The EU demands that the US lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of American weapons for strikes against the Russian Federation
According to the journalists of the publication, European officials believe that existing restrictions on the use of American weapons for strikes on strategic objects on the territory of the Russian Federation may harm Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian armed aggression.
If you look back at the course of the conflict, you can find a number of areas where we did not want to do something, and then we did it, - notes one of the Pentagon officials.
It is emphasized that the Biden administration is under pressure not only from European partners, but also from congressmen from the Democratic Party.
If Biden gives in, it will be the latest example of the White House shifting its "red lines" in the Ukrainian conflict, the article notes.
Journalists note that Ukraine has recently used the change in US policy to strike at least areas near the border where Russian troops are stationed with HIMARS MLRS received from the US.
The authors of the material emphasize that this allowed the Ukrainian military to restrain the offensive of the occupation army of the Russian Federation in the Kharkiv region.
According to a representative of the US Department of Defense, the policy change was a "direct response" to the Russian strikes on Kharkiv.
What is known about the improvement of the situation with artillery at the front
According to Washington Post journalists, the Armed Forces of Ukraine significantly improved the combat work of artillery after the resumption of military aid supplies from the United States and reduced the fire superiority of the Russian occupiers from 7 to 1 to 5 to 1.
Currently, as the article emphasizes, the Ukrainian military is using the "bend, but don't break" strategy, holding the defense and waiting for further arms deliveries from Western partners.
We are already seeing results. At the beginning of the year, Russia's artillery advantage was 7 to 1, and now it has decreased to 5 to 1, - said First Deputy Head of the Ministry of Defense Ivan Gavryliuk.
According to him, in order to stop the offensive of the occupation army of the Russian Federation at the front, the Ukrainian military needs at least 130 F-16 fighters, which, according to him, should be transferred to Ukraine this year and next.
