Is Selenski sacrificing too many soldiers?

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The United States and Ukraine are united. Since the start of Russia’s war of aggression, US President Joe Biden (80) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (45) have been seen rubbing shoulders in public appearances – the best example being Biden’s recent surprise visit to Ukraine’s capital Kiev.

But there are more and more cracks in the US-Ukrainian relationship, as the US daily “Politico” reports. The “Politico” journalists refer to conversations with a dozen officials, legislators and experts. Essentially, the interlocutors give the following reasons for the tensions:

Above all, many Americans have criticized the ruthless, grueling defense of the southeastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Both Russian and Ukrainian troops suffered heavy casualties – military strategists also refer to Bakhmut as the “meat grinder”. But the government in Kiev refuses to give up Bakhmut, even if that would also entail high costs.

“I do not want to belittle the enormous work that Ukrainian soldiers and leaders have put into the defense of Bakhmut,” US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, 69, said some time ago. “But I think it’s more of a symbolic value than a strategic and operational value.” Ukraine ignored these imports.

The latest findings of the US secret service, namely regarding the blowing up of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which transport gas from Russia to Germany, are not only causing discussions in US government circles. Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) and his supporters are therefore not behind it, as initially believed, but ostensibly a pro-Ukrainian group.

According to the newspaper “Politico”, the US Secret Service does not believe that “Zelensky and his aides” were involved in the sabotage. But the Biden administration has made it clear to Kiev that acts of violence beyond the Ukrainian border will not be tolerated.

US officials have also criticized Zelensky’s stance on peace talks — on a crucial point: the Ukrainian president is insisting that the Crimean peninsula, under Russian control since 2014, must also be returned to Ukraine before negotiations with Russia take place. That would only prolong the war.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (60) has signaled to Kiev that retaking Crimea would represent a red line for Putin that could lead to a “dramatic escalation”. The Pentagon has also consistently expressed doubts about the ability of Ukraine’s armed forces to drive Russia out of Crimea, where it has been holed up for nearly a decade — despite being armed with advanced Western weapons.

While US President Biden has pledged his support to Ukraine, the US has now made it clear to Kiev that they cannot support Ukraine indefinitely with weapons and funds on this scale.

Source: Blick