Ukraine’s counteroffensive: U.S pledges more weapons

The United States has pledged more weapons to help Kyiv prepare for a counteroffensive as a diplomatic effort to end the war in Ukraine comes back into focus.

The U.S unveiled a $2.6 billion military assistance for Ukraine on Tuesday, including three air surveillance radars, anti-tank rockets and fuel trucks.

The U.S. has now provided more than $35 billion in military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.

“The main thing is not to lose time, not to lose the chance we have. Act now, help now,” Zelenskiy told the U.S. National Governors Association by video link.

“Ukrainians act so that Americans don’t have to fight – and together we gain new strength for our countries.”

After weathering a punishing, months-long assault in eastern Ukraine, its military commanders have said a counteroffensive is not far off but have stressed the importance of holding towns, including Bakhmut, and inflicting losses in the meantime.

“The question of our counter-attack is under active discussion by American and European political circles – perhaps to excess,” said Serhiy Zgurets, director of the publication Defense Express.

Diplomatic effort

Ukrainian diplomats will have to convince allies that a single advance pushing Russian troops back will not be sufficient for victory, Zgurets wrote on the Espresso TV website.

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“It will mean training our soldiers in NATO member-states, securing the equipment and ammunition we need and planning to determine when and where to start the counter-attack, or if it should be in several places at once,” he said.

Zelenskiy will head to Poland, which has taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees over the past 13 months of the war.

The NATO member has also played an important role in persuading other Western powers to supply battle tanks and other weaponry to Ukraine.

Zainab Sa’id