Citing a senior defense official, the US Ministry of Defense wrote that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin failed to achieve any of his strategic objectives in launching the brutal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine.
Russia failed to occupy the capital Kyiv, install a puppet leadership in Ukraine, failed to occupy the Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts by 15 September as ordered, suffers from a Ukrainian offensive that retook “an area the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined,” and cannot recruit personnel for its army due to low morale.
“We all know that this fight is far from over,” the senior defense official said. Ukraine has made tremendous progress against a far larger foe. But Ukraine must have support from the United States, allies and partners to continue its effort.
Nations of the world are working together to ensure Ukraine gets what it needs, when it needs it. They are also working to ensure Ukrainian service members have the training needed to operate new equipment or integrate new capabilities into their military operations. “We will continue to also work on Ukraine’s mid- and long-term needs, even as we support their fight today,” the official said.
