Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has ‘failed’, US says

Hours after U.S. Secretary of State and Defense Volodymr Zelensky put the cover of a stealth mission into Ukraine, the Pentagon weighed the serious risks of the operation, according to experts. New York Times. Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin were on their way to Europe when Zelensky blindsided the White House by announcing a super secret trip. Bringing them into a brutal war zone with their cover blown could provide an opportunity for Russia to target them. Turning away could send an even stronger message: that the United States cannot protect its top diplomats from the Russian threat.

In the end, the mission was successful and gave the US impetus to Russia, which it saw as growing weaker in a war that has now ended for a second month. “When it comes to Russia’s war goals, Russia is failing,” Blinken told reporters Monday morning in Poland. “Ukraine is succeeding. Russia has sought its main goal to completely subjugate Ukraine, deprive it of its sovereignty, deprive it of its independence. That failed. ”

Britain also released intelligence showing that the second phase of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was going downhill. The Ministry of Defense stated that “Without sufficient combat and logistical support equipment, Russia has not yet achieved a significant breakthrough.”

Although the White House did not confirm the three-hour visit with Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials in the bunker in Kyiv until they were safely in Poland, the impact of the visit strengthened Ukraine. “This is an important moment to be there,” Blinken told reporters Monday. “A pivotal moment for Ukraine, for war, and an important moment to have detailed face-to-face conversations.”

The meeting, held on the 60th day of the brutal war that saw heavy loss of life on both sides, signaled continued US support despite Russia’s consistent threats. that they would attack arms supply chains as a valid target of war. The United States has pledged to sell $165 million in ammunition and more than $300 million in foreign military funding to Ukraine in a way to prevent the introduction of heavy weapons into the country. “The strategy that we have put in place — massive support for Ukraine, great pressure against Russia, solidarity with the more than 30 countries involved in these efforts — is bearing fruit,” Blinken said.

Zelensky has played down calls for no-fly zones and warplanes that were mantras in the early days of Russia’s invasion. “The priorities are arms and support from the United States of America and our partners, European leaders, in terms of the strength and support of our military in some of the most important areas. decided,” Zelensky said after the American delegation left. “The second issue is the policy of sanctions against the Russian Federation for its full-scale invasion and all the terror it has perpetrated in Ukraine.”

Austin, who has expressed admiration for Ukraine’s president, said on Monday that he believes Ukraine will prevail. “The first step to winning is believing you can win,” Austin told reporters Monday. “And so they believe we can win, we believe they can win with the right equipment, the right support.”

Austin also noted Russian failures and predicted that they would increase. “We want to see Russia so weakened that it can’t do the same things it did when it invaded Ukraine,” Austin said. “Honestly, it’s lost a lot of its military capability and a lot of its troops, and we’d like to see that they don’t have the ability to regenerate that capability quickly.”

As the diplomatic mission concludes, with Blinken confirming that President Biden will soon appoint an ambassador to work for a newly reopened embassy in Kyiv, the ground battle continues at breakneck speed. . On Sunday, hundreds of Ukrainian citizens, including children, gathered with soldiers inside a steel plant in Mariupol, which was under constant bombardment by Russian troops. However, the British Ministry of Defense says that the steel mill is actually tying up many Russian troops and hindering their advances elsewhere. “Many Russian units remain fixed in the city and cannot be redeployed,” the British Ministry of Defense posted on Twitter. “Ukraine’s defense of Mariupol has also exhausted many Russian units and reduced their combat effectiveness.”

The message from Britain’s Defense Intelligence unit also said: “The Russian Ministry of Defense has proposed that the payment of compensation to the families of deceased service members be overseen by the military, not by the military. civilian officials. This may reflect Russia’s desire to conceal the true extent of the damage to the domestic population. “