WSJ: The West is pushing Ukraine to think about Plan B in the war with Russia

The US and European countries are pressing Ukraine to develop a dependable plan outlining its accomplishments for the upcoming year in the defense war with Russia. The Wall Street Journal reported on this, citing sources.

The US and European allies still support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s long-term stated goal of ousting Russia from all of Ukraine.

But with public support waning among some of Ukraine’s key supporters and Russia making slow gains on the ground, some European diplomats say Ukraine needs to be more realistic about its goals in the war. This could assist Western officials in defending their voters’ need to provide arms and aid to Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy are going to visit Ukraine this week to meet with Ukrainian officials. Officials specifically aim to explore ways to more accurately assess Ukraine’s triumph and the assistance it requires for it.

Several other high-ranking American and European officials have visited Kyiv in the past two weeks. The talks point to a constant source of tension in relations between Kyiv and the West, reconciling Russian president Vladimir Putin’s desire to withdraw troops from Ukraine with the military reality on the ground.

High-ranking European officials claim that they informed Ukraine’s government that the West would need to provide hundreds of billions of dollars in support for Ukraine to achieve a complete victory, a feat that neither Washington nor Europe could realistically accomplish.

United States secretary of state Antony Blinken said that his trip is partly to see “how exactly the Ukrainians see their needs at this moment, what the goals are, and what we can do to support those needs.”

Blinken said he and Lammy will report to President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who will then discuss the matter during a meeting on Friday. Officials warn that there is no final decision yet, but it could be a prelude to the US and Britain agreeing to Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles to strike targets on Russian soil.

In Washington, the spokesman for the National Security Council of the White House, John Kirby, said that the trip to Kyiv is not aimed at forcing Ukraine to negotiate: “Certainly, ending the conflict through negotiations is the most likely outcome, but when it will happen, and under what conditions and circumstances, it will depend on President Zelenskyy.”.

Western officials say that while Russian dictator Putin says he wants to start peace talks, his claims are not sincere. Putin continues to believe that he can achieve the military successes necessary to destroy Ukraine’s independence.

On September 10, US President Joe Biden hinted that the US may lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons on Russian territory.