Mutual frustrations strain U.S.-Ukraine alliance
Among the issues: Pentagon wants Zelenskyy to fight one battle at a time
WASHINGTON — More than two years into their wartime alliance, the bond between the United States and Ukraine is showing signs of wear and tear, giving way to mutual frustration and a feeling that the relationship might be stuck in a bit of a rut.
It is the stuff that often strains relationships — finances, different priorities and complaints about not being heard.
For the Pentagon, the exasperation comes down to a single, recurring issue: U.S. military strategists, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, believe Ukraine needs to concentrate its forces on one big fight at a time. Instead, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has vowed to drive Russia out of every inch of Ukraine, expends his forces in battles for towns U.S. officials say lack strategic value.
The most recent example involved the battle for the eastern city of Avdiivka, which fell to Russia last month. U.S. officials say Ukraine defended Avdiivka too long and at too great a cost.
For its part, Ukraine is increasingly disheartened that U.S. political paralysis has resulted in shortages of ammunition for troops on the front. As each day goes by without a fresh supply of munitions and artillery, and Ukrainian crews ration the shells they have, morale is suffering.
Zelenskyy promised a “renewal” of Ukraine’s military in its stagnant campaign against Russia when he dismissed his commanding general, Valery Zaluzhny, last month and named Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, the head of his ground forces, to replace him.
Gen. Charles Q. Brown, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was on the phone with Syrsky the next day, as officials in the Biden administration tried to figure out whether they had found an ally in the Ukrainian military for what they see as the most likely route to success.
The jury is still out. Some officials say Syrsky may be more in sync with Zelenskyy than his predecessor.
“Zelenskyy has made a much more unified chain of command responsive to his leadership as well as advice from outside,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who heads the Armed Services Committee and recently visited Ukraine.
Two other officials, however, worried whether the new military chief would be willing to push his boss in a direction he did not want to go.
Even now, months after a counteroffensive that failed because Ukraine, in the eyes of the Pentagon, did not take its advice, its government in Kyiv is still too often unwilling to listen.
White House and Ukrainian officials both say the failure of Congress so far to pass an emergency aid bill including $60.1 billion for Ukraine has already undermined the fight on the ground. The measure would rush badly needed artillery ammunition and air defense interceptors to Ukrainian forces.
But the Ukrainians have other frustrations with the United States. They have frequently complained the Biden administration has been slow to approve advanced weapons systems that could cross perceived Russian red lines, from fighter jets to long-range missiles.
“We’ve been fiddling while Rome burns,” said Emily Harding, a former U.S. intelligence official.