During her visit to Kyiv on 31 January, US Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland warned that Vladimir Putin can expect surprises on the battlefield in Ukraine.
“Mr. Putin is going to get some nice surprises on the battlefield, and Ukraine will make some very strong success this year,” stated Nuland before leaving the Ukrainian capital.
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In Kyiv, Nuland met with Ukraine’s President, Prime Minister, Parliament Speaker, and representatives of parliamentary factions.
The visit occurred amidst delayed Western aid to Ukraine, with the Biden Administration’s request for over $60 billion in additional assistance currently stalled in Congress.
Late on 30 January, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder confirmed that Ukraine would receive the ground-launched bombs (GLSDB) from the US. However, he explicitly stated that he would not confirm specific timelines. A media report indicated that Ukraine was scheduled to receive the first batch of the GLSDB on 31 January.
Referring to four unnamed sources, Politico stated that Ukraine was set to receive the first batch of Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB) on 31 January, a novel long-range weapon not yet in the US arsenal capable of hitting targets 150 km away.
The Financial Times reported on 19 January that Russian forces likely intend a large-scale summer 2024 offensive aimed at fully capturing the four Ukrainian regions Moscow claimed to annex in September 2022 – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
However, a Western official told FT the prospects for either side making an operational breakthrough in 2024 remain small.
Read more:
- Pentagon confirms GLSDB supplies to Ukraine, avoids confirming timelines
- FP: US, Germany push to delay Ukraine NATO membership invite
- Bloomberg: Western diplomats warn that without US aid, Ukrainian Army to confront significant challenges by late spring
- Latvian Defense Minister outlines steps to supply Ukraine with 1,000,000 artillery rounds
