{"id":597119,"date":"2023-11-09T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/decision-time-in-ukraine-will-biden-make-the-right-choice\/"},"modified":"2023-11-09T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T12:00:00","slug":"decision-time-in-ukraine-will-biden-make-the-right-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/decision-time-in-ukraine-will-biden-make-the-right-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"#Decision time in Ukraine \u2014 will Biden make the right choice?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/64e90fe23d9ef7.54729988.jpeg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>            <iframe title=\"Audio Article\" id=\"instaread_iframe\" name=\"instaread_playlist\" scrolling=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" style=\"display:block\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" frameborder=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Contrary to\u00a0recent\u00a0arguments presented by John\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mearsheimer.substack.com\/p\/bound-to-lose\">Mearsheimer<\/a>\u00a0and retired U.S. Army Col.\u00a0Douglas\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2023\/10\/20\/col-macgregor-napolitano-biden-ukraine-war-support\/\">Macgregor<\/a>,\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s counteroffensive has not failed. But it has reached a transition point, and decisions must be made.<\/p>\n<p>We are now 20 months into a war that then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told us would last\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/gen-milley-says-kyiv-could-fall-within-72-hours-if-russia-decides-to-invade-ukraine-sources\">three days<\/a>.\u00a0Russian planners estimated\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/ukraine-war-captured-russian-documents-reveal-moscows-10-day-plan-to-take-over-the-country-and-kill-its-leaders-12759836\">10 days<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>A Ukrainian military once considered inferior to Russia\u2019s has militarily succeeded, defeating Russians on every battlefield in Ukraine. They have killed more than\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DefenceU\/status\/1721773271178223950\">300,000<\/a>\u00a0Russian soldiers, and according to Secretary of State Antony\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/blinken-says-ukraine-has-taken-back-50-territory-that-russia-seized-2023-07-23\/\">Blinken<\/a>, \u201crecaptured half the territory that Russia initially seized in its invasion.\u201d\u00a0That\u00a0is not\u00a0failure.<\/p>\n<p>Brussels and Washington still have time to ensure Ukrainian sacrifices and victories on the battlefield remain relevant, but Washington\u2019s current strategy to help defend Ukraine will not defeat the Russian military.\u00a0Moscow\u00a0can continue to generate more manpower through mobilizations, con<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">script<\/a>ion, mercenaries and foreign fighters to feed into the Ukraine meat grinder. It has turned to\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2023-11-01\/north-korea-sent-1-million-rounds-to-russia-spy-agency-says#xj4y7vzkg\">North Korea<\/a>\u00a0to sustain its insatiable appetite for artillery\u00a0munitions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is becoming\u00a0the war of attrition many feared it would evolve into, and now the term \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.economist.com\/europe\/2023\/11\/01\/ukraines-commander-in-chief-on-the-breakthrough-he-needs-to-beat-russia\">stalemate<\/a>\u201d is creeping into\u00a0the conversation.<\/p>\n<p>We have long cautioned that the\u00a0Biden administration\u2019s\u00a0\u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/themessenger.com\/opinion\/bidens-just-enough-strategy-is-not-enough-for-ukraine-to-win\">just enough<\/a>\u201d\u00a0strategy to sustain Ukraine is a losing strategy. And politics, namely a presidential election\u00a0cycle,\u00a0appears to be undermining President Biden\u2019s promise that the U.S. will \u201cstand by Ukraine for as long as it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWin now\u201d must be\u00a0Washington\u2019s\u00a0new mantra. As former National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H. R.\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GOP4Ukraine\/status\/1704916338592841874\">McMaster<\/a>\u00a0emphasized in late September when he addressed the 30 M1 Abrams tanks being delivered to Ukraine, \u201cI mean, like, 30 tanks? How about 300 tanks! I think it\u2019s silly the way these capabilities are being dribbled in.\u201d Winning is giving Ukraine what it needs to defeat the Russian military.<\/p>\n<p>Initially, the\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.army.mil\/article\/243754\/the_u_s_army_in_multi_domain_operations_2028\">multi-domain<\/a>\u00a0counteroffensive that Ukraine employed against Russia was having success. Ukrainian ground forces were pushing south towards Melitopol and the Sea of Azov. Empowered with cluster munitions, they had breached through Russia\u2019s main defensive belts and were penetrating secondary positions. Trent\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.economist.com\/united-states\/2023\/09\/06\/how-the-pentagon-assesses-ukraines-progress\">Maul<\/a>,\u00a0director of analysis at the Defense Intelligence Agency, commented, \u201cthere is a\u00a0realistic possibility that Ukrainian forces can break through the remaining Russian defensive lines on the southern front by the end of 2023.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Deep strikes into Crimea with Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles were continuing to make the peninsula untenable; the Russia Black Sea Fleet was forced to abandon its headquarters in Sevastopol. Ukraine was decimating\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/themessenger.com\/opinion\/russian-troop-losses-ukraine-vladimir-putin-ceasefire-regroup\">Russian artillery<\/a>,\u00a0counter battery and ammunition storage depots. Special operations and partisan forces were wreaking havoc in Russian rear areas, and drones were striking airfields deep within the Russian interior \u2014 to include Moscow.<\/p>\n<p>But then Iranian-backed Hamas militants launched their surprise terrorist attack on Israel, killing about <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/article\/israel-hostages-hamas-explained.html\">1,400<\/a>\u00a0Israelis\u00a0and foreigners and kidnapping nearly 250.<\/p>\n<p>The world turned its collective attention to Israel and Gaza. Russian President Vladimir Putin took advantage of the\u00a0distraction,\u00a0and launched \u2014 arguably by\u00a0design\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a major offensive to encircle and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.understandingwar.org\/backgrounder\/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-october-28-2023\">capture the town of Avdiivka<\/a> in the\u00a0Donetsk\u00a0Oblast on Oct. 9. \u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The Ukrainian counteroffensive has not failed, but it has lost momentum.\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s commander-in-chief, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a> Valery Zaluzhny, was forced to reallocate his forces to repulse the offensive in Avdiivka.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They did succeed in that.\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s Ministry of Defense reports that between\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/defenceu\/status\/1711254459035091422?s=46&amp;t=PwstGcTB_7SXIyQjkD1a-g\">Oct. 9<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/defenceu\/status\/1721773271178223950?s=46&amp;t=PwstGcTB_7SXIyQjkD1a-g\">Nov. 7<\/a>, 24,230 Russian soldiers were killed, 470 tanks, 848 armored personnel carriers, 704 artillery pieces and 61 multiple launch rocket systems were destroyed.<\/p>\n<p>One Russian milblogger described the\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/russia-bloody-fight-in-avdiivka-has-slaughtered-its-forces-milbloggers-2023-10\">offensive<\/a>\u00a0in his post on Telegram as \u201ca lack of coordination and leadership [that] left troops in the area exposed to mines and extreme Ukrainian shelling, resulting in major losses.\u201d Another said the human wave attacks were a \u201cmeat assault\u201d \u2014 an \u201cassault by infantry forces without artillery support, without suppressing enemy firing points.\u201d The carnage was on the scale of World War I, but they kept coming, wave after wave, day after day.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Ukraine expended vast amounts of munitions to defeat the assaults, depleting its stockpiles. While they focused their efforts in\u00a0Avdiivka, Russian forces in the\u00a0Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts were able to fortify their defensive positions. So when Ukraine resumes its offensive, it will be like assaulting the main defensive belt all over again \u2014 minefields and trenches in-depth. It will require a significant effort to regain momentum.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine needs a commitment from the West to regain that\u00a0momentum.\u00a0That\u00a0means ATACMS, German Taurus cruise missiles, fighter aircraft, engineering equipment, cluster munitions, tanks and more conventional artillery rounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In their combined arms offensive, they must establish air superiority, bring overwhelming fire support and outmaneuver the Russian defenders \u2014 just like U.S. and NATO doctrine dictates. They must win the close fight, win the deep fight and interdict Russian forces before they arrive on the battlefield.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>A negotiated conclusion to Putin\u2019s \u201cspecial military operation\u201d would be a death sentence for Ukraine, as it would simply kick the can down the\u00a0road\u00a0for the next Russian attempt to seize control of the entire country. The Kremlin will not honor its word \u2014 as in\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/themessenger.com\/opinion\/peace-ukraine-war-vladimir-putin-russia-aggression-settlement-talks\">Chechnya<\/a>, it will rearm, refit and attack again.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Moldova and Georgia will follow, and then, as Putin described in his\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osw.waw.pl\/en\/publikacje\/analyses\/2021-07-13\/putins-article-historical-unity-russians-and-ukrainians\">manifesto<\/a>, the Baltic States and Poland \u2014 NATO countries. Better to enable Ukraine to defeat a weakened\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ukrayina.pl\/polish\/7,190250,30370072,amerykanski-general-zachod-boi-sie-wyzwolenia-krymu-usa-obawia.html#s=BoxOpImg8\">Russia<\/a>\u00a0now than to fight the Russians ourselves after they reset and incorporate lessons learned from Ukraine into their playbook.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine is at a perilous crossroad of Biden\u2019s making. It is high time for his administration to choose the path of victory and decisively empower Ukrainian President\u00a0Volodymyr\u00a0Zelensky and his generals to win. Anything less, and Putin will emerge victorious \u2014 and Europe and the west will be imperiled.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p><em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JESweet2022\">Jonathan Sweet<\/a>, a retired Army Colonel and 30-year military intelligence officer, led the U.S. European Command Intelligence Engagement Division from 2012 to 2014.<\/em> <em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mobile.twitter.com\/mctothstl\">Mark Toth<\/a>\u00a0is an economist, entrepreneur, and former board member of the World Trade Center, St. Louis.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/national-security\/4299756-its-decision-time-in-ukraine-will-biden-make-the-right-choice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Contrary to\u00a0recent\u00a0arguments presented by John\u00a0Mearsheimer\u00a0and retired U.S. Army Col.\u00a0Douglas\u00a0Macgregor,\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s counteroffensive has not failed. But it has reached a transition point, and decisions must be made. We are now 20 months into a war that then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told us would last\u00a0three days.\u00a0Russian planners estimated\u00a010 days.\u00a0 A Ukrainian military&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":597120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/64e90fe23d9ef7.54729988.jpeg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134344,134343,134353,146873,991,134702,134351,71525,143551,70289],"class_list":["post-597119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-administration","tag-campaign","tag-court-battles","tag-douglas-macgregor","tag-joe-biden","tag-mark-milley","tag-morning-report","tag-national-security","tag-race-politics","tag-senate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=597119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597119\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/597120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=597119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=597119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=597119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}