Zaluzhnyi's article ignites debate in Congress on military support for Ukraine – Politico

In a column for The Economist, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that the Russian-Ukrainian war is becoming a positional one, and explained what exactly should help Ukraine get out of the impasse. His assessment inflames "partisan passions" in the US Congress, Politico reports with reference to American lawmakers.

Republicans claim that Zaluzhnyi's statements are a reason to review American support for Kyiv in the spirit of "as much as necessary." General Zaluzhnyi's statement seems to be aimed at influencing the debate in the US Congress, writes Politico.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley, a skeptic of increasing aid to Kyiv, said Zaluzhnyi's outspokenness "blew a major hole in the administration’s Ukraine policy".

According to Hawley, Washington should continue to finance Ukraine in all aspects, not only in the military, so that the situation does not reach a dead end.

"That naturally raises the question: What exactly is our endgame strategy? What’s the plan here? I don’t think they have a plan," he said.

Democrat Senator Ben Cardin noted that Zaluzhnyi's assessment is "consistent with what we’ve been informed."

"There was hope that they would make more gains," he said, hoping that Ukraine would be able to keep the territories it liberated from Russian occupation with the support of America.

Politico points out that the Senate is most likely to approve an increase in aid to Ukraine. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson has to convince more skeptical colleagues.

At the same time, the arguments of senators Vance and Hawley still remain a minority opinion in the Senate, because the majority of senators from both parties still say that they want to continue helping Ukraine get out of the "stalemate", the journalists added.

Politico writes that although the number of opponents of this is still increasing, as the US's attention in particular has shifted to helping Israel, Zaluzhnyi's statements have not weakened support from the most active supporters of Ukraine in Congress.

Zaluzhnyi stated that the war has shifted to a positional format and for success, it is necessary to return to the maneuverable type of war.

Due to the shortage of the necessary weapons, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were forced to knock out the enemy's artillery with HIMARS rockets, the general said.

At the same time, the Russian Federation increased the density of fire with old howitzers and intensively produces high-precision Krasnopol projectiles, which should not be underestimated, as the aggressor will have an advantage in armaments for a considerable time, argues Zaluzhnyi.

According to his assessment, by the end of 2023, Russia can increase the number of aviation to eight divisions, and the F-16 fighters will already be less useful than if they were provided earlier, because Russia has improved its air defenses.