A senior US official said on Friday that Ukraine should not seek to defend Russia Bakhmut city (East of the country) at any cost, and focus more on preparing for a major counterattack.
The senior official in Joe Biden’s administration saw that the priority given to the fighting in Bakhmut was hindering Ukraine in its primary mission of preparing a strategic offensive against the Russians in the south of the country during the spring.
Ukrainian soldiers near the town of Bakhmut in the east of the country – Reuters
He also estimated that the longer the duration of the fighting in Bakhmut, the stronger the position of Russia, which has greater artillery capabilities, and a numerical advantage in terms of fighters.
The official, who asked not to be named, added that Russia’s victory in Bakhmut will not change the course of the war, and the Ukrainian forces can withdraw to easy-to-defend locations.
Arming and training
On the other hand, the senior US official believed that easing the focus on the city allows Ukraine to enable a greater number of its military to benefit from the armament and training programs run by the United States in order to form more highly qualified units and employ them in launching an attack in the south.
The official indicated that weapons that will be used in the upcoming counterattack are currently flowing into Ukraine, including hundreds of armored vehicles this week, which is among the equipment that will be required to form a mobile offensive force.
It is noteworthy that the Russian forces are launching a massive attack near the eastern city of Bakhmut, which has caused many casualties on both sides since last week.
The largely destroyed city, with a pre-war population of about 70,000, became the epicenter of the fighting in eastern Ukraine, with the use of heavy artillery, slow advances and heavy casualties on both sides.