WSJ: The West counted on Kiev’s resourcefulness despite the lack of weapons for a counteroffensive

By the time the UAF’s large-scale counter-offensive began, the Western military realized that Kiev lacked the training and weapons – from missiles to military aircraft – to dislodge the Russian forces. But they hoped Ukrainian courage and resourcefulness would help them succeed, according to The Wall Street Journal.

However, minefields, extensive fortifications, and Russian aircraft largely impede significant Ukrainian military advances. Instead, the Ukrainian campaign risks a stalemate, and Washington and its allies risk committing material support to a long war that will require a massive injection of modern weapons and additional training to give Kiev a chance of victory.

At the same time, the Russian army is facing low morale due to exhaustion, poor supplies and divisions among the Russian leadership, according to Ukrainian and Western intelligence. Russia, sources say, is unable to take the initiative to attack Ukrainian positions, but its armed forces remain strong enough to hold hundreds of kilometers of fortified positions.

Ukraine hoped to find loopholes in Russian fortifications, break through the troops and cause chaos similar to what its forces achieved with their enemies last year. Instead, the minefields slowed the forces attacking Kiev, leaving them vulnerable to Russian aircraft and missile attacks.

Defeating the Russian air force is the main reason Zelensky and his team have been lobbying Washington and its European allies for months for the supply of American F-16 fighters, but the US administration has not yet issued the necessary permission to supply these aircraft to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It will take months to create the base necessary for their operation, and according to analysts, the F-16s will appear in the sky over Ukraine no earlier than next year.