CIA chief: With continued US support, Ukrainians could mount offensives against Russia by late 2024
Ukraine could regain the offensive initiative in late 2024 or early 2025, if the House of Representatives approves the continuation of military aid, the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns, said during the hearings in the Senate.
According to him, American intelligence believes that with additional help, Ukraine will be able to maintain an active defense until the end of 2024 – the beginning of 2025.
The Ukrainian Defense Forces can continue to cause damage to Russia not only with strikes on the temporarily occupied Crimea, but also on the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which lost 15 vessels in the last six months.
Burns said that Ukraine can regain the offensive initiative, which will put it in a "position of greater strength" in possible negotiations with Vladimir Putin.
"Ukraine could sustain itself as a strong and independent country, anchor itself in Western institutions, and have the space and security to recover from terrible aggression and leave Russia to deal with the long-term consequences of Putin's brutal and foolish invasion," the CIA director said.
On December 6, 2023, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that United States would be responsible for the possible defeat of Ukraine if Congress did not approve new aid to Kyiv.
On February 14, 2024, US President Joe Biden called on Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson to immediately put a bill on aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan to a vote.
On February 28, Mike Johnson said that he would put to a vote the continuation of aid to Ukraine "in a timely manner", but the priority is the border with Mexico, and on February 29, the leaders of Congress at a meeting with Biden could not agree on aid to Ukraine.
On March 4, Johnson personally met with Republicans in the lower chamber of Congress, who favor the Senate's compromise bill. They want to finalize this document and bring it to a vote in April.
