The Ukrainian counter-offensive brought the attacked country the hoped-for military successes. The US government has commented on the latest developments with cautious optimism. President Biden does not expect Ukraine to win quickly.
The US government sees a new dynamic in the war with Russia in view of the military successes of the Ukrainian troops. "I think what you're seeing is certainly a shift, a momentum in Ukraine's armed forces, particularly in the north," National Security Council communications director John Kirby said in Washington. However, he wants to leave it up to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to decide whether a turning point has actually been reached.
US President Joe Biden was cautious. When asked by reporters if a turning point had been reached in the war, he said it was difficult to say. According to journalists traveling with him, Biden emphasized that the Ukrainians had made significant progress during a visit to Wilmington in the state of Delaware. But it will be a long way.
Kirby said of the recent development, "I don't want to speak for the foreign military, but I think in the north we've seen the Russians evacuate their defensive positions and retreat." The Russian troops would have abandoned their fighting positions, leaving their supplies behind. "They call it a repositioning but it is certain that they have retreated in the face of Ukrainian forces clearly on the offensive." At the same time, Kirby emphasized that Russia continues to have great military capabilities.
Referring to the fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus, Kirby said it was difficult to talk about a motivation for the renewed conflict. Russia is traditionally seen as Armenia's protecting power in the Caucasus. However, the forces of the Russian military are largely tied up because of the war of aggression that has been going on in Ukraine for six months. It is therefore possible that some leaders think that Russia is busy elsewhere, Kirby said when asked if Azerbaijan was currently taking advantage of this. "But here, too, we should be careful with speculation."
