(Dan Tri) – Ukraine is said to be struggling to hold back Russian forces in the context of stagnant aid from the West and a serious lack of manpower.
Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Willliam Burns (Photo: Reuters).
Bloomberg on April 18, citing well-informed sources, said that US and European Union (EU) officials are worried that Russian forces could breach Ukraine’s defense lines in the coming weeks.
The source said that the Russian army is continuing to advance thanks to its advantage in ammunition.
Russian forces have now advanced to the outskirts of Chasov Yar in the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk, a town important to Ukraine’s defense forces in the region due to its high location.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces `face difficulties because of delays in US and European military aid as well as lack of manpower`.
According to Bloomberg, Ukraine also faces daily Russian missile, drone and bomb attacks.
Ukraine is seriously lacking ammunition and anti-aircraft weapons after more than 2 years of conflict with Russia.
In a recent interview, Ukrainian President Volodymyyr Zelensky admitted that without more US aid, Ukraine has no chance of winning the conflict with Russia.
He emphasized that Russia’s firepower is currently 10 times greater than Ukraine’s.
For his part, Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency William Burns warned that if the US does not send more military aid, Ukraine could `lose` the war with Russia by the end of this year.
`With the boost from military support, both practical and psychological, I think the Ukrainians are fully capable of standing on their own until 2024. On the contrary, without more aid, the situation will
`There is a very real risk that Ukraine could lose on the battlefield by the end of 2024, or at least put Russia in a position to dictate the terms of a political solution,` he emphasized.
This can be considered one of the strongest warnings ever from the administration of US President Joe Biden about the consequences of the country’s Congress continuing to delay approving additional aid for Ukraine.
Just a month ago, in a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mr. Burns warned that if the US Congress did not pass a new aid package, Ukraine could lose its position significantly by 2024. However,
If Ukraine is not given more aid, Russia could gain significant territory, then freeze the front lines with a ceasefire, similar to what happened after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.
Ukraine has not yet commented on the above warnings.