The United States is increasing the provision of military advice to Ukraine and is now recommending that Kyiv consolidate its positions, maintain defenses, and build up forces and weapons throughout the year.
With the coming of winter, the Russian army became more active at the front. In the past 24 hours, Ukrainian defenders have repelled 82 attacks, mainly in the direction of Avdiivka.
The United States recommended that Kyiv consolidate its position, maintain its defense, and build up forces and weapons throughout the year, writes The New York Times.
Bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper
“The positions are held, no one surrenders, despite the fact that the enemy from time to time continues to storm the positions and try to knock us out of the occupied territories,” commented Natalia Gumenyuk, head of the joint press center of the Defense Forces, who commented on the situation on the left bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region in the south of Ukraine.
He added that the landing on the left bank was a serious part of the large-scale military operation.
British intelligence reported how the Russians were trying to regain positions on the left bank.
“At the beginning of December 2023, the newly formed 104th Guards Airborne Division of the Russian Federation likely suffered heavy losses and did not complete its tasks during its combat debut in the Kherson region. The operation took place after joining the division in the Dnieper group of Russian troops and tried to dislodge the Ukrainian bridgehead near the village of Krynki on the eastern bank of the Dnieper,” British intelligence officials said in their analytical report.
New plan
“Some US military officials want Ukraine to pursue a “hold and develop” strategy—focusing on holding on to the territory it has and developing a weapons capability by 2024,” wrote The New York Times.
The United States believes that this strategy will elevate Ukraine itself and give Kyiv the ability to repel any new Russian aggression.
According to the publication, the purpose of such a strategy is to create a threat that is sufficiently credible for Russia to consider participating in meaningful negotiations late next year or in 2025.
At the same time, Ukrainian officials are researching strategies based on the successful deep strikes in Crimea last fall. They are looking for creative ways to unbalance Russia through attacks on weapons factories, weapons depots and ammunition trains, and to gain symbolic victories.
The publication wrote that a Ukrainian former senior military officer refused to discuss the proposals, but said the new plan was being finalized and was “very bold.”
American officials are convinced that without a new strategy and additional funding, Ukraine may lose the war. The US believes that without a change in strategy, 2024 could resemble 1916, the deadliest year of the First World War, when thousands of young people died and the front lines changed little.
At the same time, according to the publication, American officials are open to some new ideas from Ukraine. In particular, they acknowledged that Ukraine’s deep-seated attack on Crimea this fall proved fatal for Russia and became a bright spot in a failed counteroffensive. American strategists believe that the Ukrainians can build on this success next year, even if most of their energy is spent on rebuilding their strength.
The publication emphasizes that neither American nor Ukrainian officials are disclosing details of the talks or the new plan.
At the same time, analysts say that regardless of the final agreement, changing the dynamic is critical because the longer the war is considered a stalemate, the harder it will be to get additional American funding.
US officials say Ukraine does not need to return all of the nearly 20 percent of territory it lost to win the war. They are convinced that winning some strategic and symbolic victories, strengthening defenses and developing its own capabilities to produce more weapons may be enough to strengthen Ukraine’s position when calls for peace talks to end the war will inevitably renew.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.