NYT: Ukrainian forces continue facing serious challenges on battlefield

Nearly three years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin shocked the world with his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

His objective was to overthrow Ukraine's democratically elected government, install a puppet regime loyal to the Kremlin, and undermine the West, portraying it as weak, divided, and declining, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

However, after over 1,000 days of this reckless war, Putin has failed to achieve any of his strategic goals. Russia's power and influence have been severely diminished; it couldn't even maintain its support for a key ally like Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. In contrast, Ukraine remains strong, resilient, and steadfast as a free and sovereign democracy with an economy increasingly aligned with the West.

This outcome highlights the incredible determination of Ukraine’s military and the unwavering spirit of its people. It is also the result of consistent American leadership, which has united allies and partners across the globe to support Ukraine in the face of the Kremlin’s imperial aggression. 

The United States must build on this historic success, ensuring that it is not wasted. Mr. Putin believed that the world would remain passive when he sent his forces into Ukraine. He was mistaken. The United States has rallied approximately 50 countries worldwide to support Ukraine in its defense and to uphold the fundamental principle that borders cannot be altered by force. 

One of us, Secretary Austin, has organized the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a global coalition that has coordinated military aid to Ukraine 25 times. This group has committed $126 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, nearly half of which has come from non-U.S. members. In terms of GDP, more than a dozen members of the contact group are now providing more security assistance to Ukraine than the United States. These efforts are also benefiting the U.S. by strengthening our defense industrial base and creating quality jobs. Putin’s aggression has inadvertently led to the very result he aimed to avoid: NATO is now larger, stronger, and more unified than ever. 

As a result, Ukraine has managed to hold off the second-largest military in the world, despite Putin’s reckless escalation and nuclear threats. Ukraine has fought with extraordinary skill even as China, the world’s second-largest economy, has supported Putin, while Iran, the leading state sponsor of terrorism, has supplied him with missiles and drones. 

Additionally, North Korea, the most notorious nuclear-armed rogue state, has provided ammunition and sent around 10,000 troops to assist him. Ukraine’s achievements so far represent a significant strategic victory, but its forces continue to face serious challenges on the battlefield. Recently, Russian forces have regained some of the territory that Ukraine had liberated earlier in the conflict, and Putin’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s power plants and vital infrastructure are taking a heavy toll. 

Despite their extraordinary resilience, the Ukrainian people have paid a high price for their freedom. However, Ukraine's struggles should not obscure the growing difficulties facing Putin. In recent months, the United States and its allies have ramped up military support for Ukraine, providing hundreds of thousands of additional artillery shells, extra air defense missiles, more armored vehicles, and air-to-ground munitions, all aimed at countering Russia’s numerical advantage. We have also allowed Ukraine to deploy ATACMS missiles inside Russia’s borders, assisting them in defending against North Korea’s involvement in the conflict. 

Throughout the war, as battlefield conditions evolved, we increased our aid in line with Ukraine's capacity to absorb it, ensuring each delivery was accompanied by training and support. At the same time, Russia is suffering devastating losses, with an average of 1,500 casualties a day, as it fights for tiny patches of territory. Since Putin launched the war, Russia has sustained over 700,000 dead and wounded. 

Now, Putin faces an increasingly painful choice: continue enduring massive casualties for minimal territorial gains, possibly mobilize more troops at the risk of domestic unrest, or engage in serious negotiations with Ukraine to bring an end to the war.

By Naila Huseynova