Why Ukraine’s counteroffensive failed to deliver
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 6 December 2023
⏱️ 25 minutes
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Summary
The war in Ukraine has reached a critical point. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hoped for victory in 2023, but a lagging counteroffensive put Ukraine’s ability to defend itself in doubt – and has raised questions about the U.S.’s role in the war.
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In January, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukranians that he expected 2023 to be a victorious year for the country. With support from the United States and other Western allies, Ukraine had planned a counteroffensive in the spring against Russian troops, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.
The foundering counteroffensive has raised questions about Ukraine’s decision-making and America’s deep involvement in the military planning behind the counteroffensive. President Biden has asked Congress to authorize more aid for Ukraine, but he faces stiff resistance from some Republicans in Congress who have tied the aid to negotiations over U.S.-Mexico border policy changes.
Missy Ryan, who covers diplomacy and national security for The Post, joins us to explain.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | At the beginning of this year, there was hope in Ukraine. |
| 0:06.0 | The military was planning to launch a counter-offensive against Russia. |
| 0:10.0 | Ukraine's president, Blodimir Zelensky, was optimistic. |
| 0:13.6 | He spoke about the prospects for victory at the start of the year. |
| 0:16.5 | The Shilah it's a little bit of the year. |
| 0:19.5 | I thought of the same namsar as pop-a-Gilinna. But I'm going to be wrong. It our people, he said. |
| 0:23.0 | But it's a lot of me. |
| 0:25.0 | And we, |
| 0:26.0 | poppagragna of Ukraine. |
| 0:28.0 | Let this be the return of our people, he said. |
| 0:33.3 | Warriors to their families, captives to their homes. |
| 0:37.6 | Ukraine entered 2023 very optimistic about the future. |
| 0:42.1 | They had reclaimed a lot of territory from Russian forces. |
| 0:45.8 | Huge amounts of Western arms were pouring into Ukraine. Western officials were |
| 0:50.8 | hopeful that they could exploit those gains and go further |
| 0:55.2 | forced Russian President Vladimir Putin into a negotiation but now at the close of |
| 1:01.5 | 2023 things are looking really difficult for Ukraine. |
| 1:05.6 | Missy Ryan covers national security for the post. |
| 1:12.2 | She and our colleagues have spoken with |
| 1:13.9 | dozens of officials from Ukraine, the US, and Europe. They've asked about the war and |
| 1:18.9 | they've gotten an inside look at what's happened with Ukraine's long |
| 1:22.4 | anticipated counter-offensive. |
... |
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