Curious messages came out of Kiev yesterday on the long-awaited counter-offensive—the likely failure is to be blamed on the U.S., and not Britain. The first part came directly from President Zelenskyy’s interview with the Wall Street Journal published yesterday, where Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is ready to launch the offensive and that Kiev can no longer “wait for months.” However, the operation is likely to mean heavy losses for Ukraine, due to Russia’s air superiority.
He stated: “I don’t know how long it will take” and “it can go a variety of ways, completely different.” While we want more weapons, we may have to plunge ahead. “We would like to have certain things, but we can’t wait for months.” He maintained that only U.S.-made Patriot systems could make a difference, and Ukraine would need up to 50 such batteries. Otherwise, “a large number of soldiers will die.”
