New York Times: Zelensky’s hopes of using Western weapons against Russia won’t materialize in the near future
The New York Times, published an article indicating that despite the West’s implementation of Ukrainian President Zelensky’s desire to supply him with tanks, his hopes of using them against Russia in the near future are unlikely to materialize.
The article by Lara Jakes said: The new package of military aid to Ukraine that was presented on Friday includes long-range weapons that haven’t yet been used to keep Russian forces and hit logistical targets away from the front line.
One problem is that this equipment will appear on the battlefield too late to be used against a large-scale Russian offensive that appears to have begun in eastern Ukraine.
This problem concerns most of the Western tanks, combat vehicles and missiles that European leaders promised to provide to Ukraine after many months of calls by Ukrainian President.
Most of the modern weapons require careful preparation as the Ukrainian forces didn’t use them previously, stressing that this process will take several months or even a year, in addition to the fact that the transfer of new weapons and military equipment to Ukraine and their arrival on the battlefield will also take a long time.
As for some types of weapons, such as guided missiles, which the United States proposes to import within the framework of the $ 2.17 billion aid package, they must be updated from existing reserves or assembled from scratch.
Although military equipment such as the US Bradley combat armored vehicles will arrive in Ukraine soon, many in the West regret the missed opportunity to prevent Russia from trying to seize the initiative in the conflict with the help of Western weapons.
It quoted a former NATO official, retired German General Heinrich Prauss, as saying, “We wasted a lot of time”.
