Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu over the weekend confirmed in a statement to President Vladimir Putin that the city of Avdeyevka in eastern Ukraine is now under the military’s full control. We earlier detailed the significance of the ‘major’ victory for Russian forces, and the devastating blow for the Ukrainian side, which is in retreat.
“Today in the Kremlin, Russian Defense Minister Army General Shoigu reported to the supreme commander-in-chief of the Russian Armed Forces that the Center grouping of forces under command of Col. Gen. Andrey Mordvichev has taken under full control the town of Avdeyevka of the Donetsk People’s Republic, which was a massive fortified stronghold of Ukraine’s armed forces,” Russia’s defense ministry said.
President Biden’s Saturday reaction was interesting yet predictable. He laid blame for the loss squarely on Congressional inaction in holding up the $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine. It suggests this will be the election narrative against Republicans going into November as well.
Biden said the Ukrainians might lose other cities too, so long as US aid is held up:
US President Joe Biden has admitted that Ukrainian troops may lose other cities after abandoning Avdeyevka unless the US Congress approves additional aid to Kiev.
Reporters asked the American leader if he was sure that Ukraine would not lose other cities as well. “I’m not. I’m not. No one can be,” Biden replied. “There is so much at stake,” he added.
According to the US president, it would be “absurd” and “unethical” to refuse to support Kiev when the Ukrainian military is running out of ammunition. “I’m going to fight to get them the ammunition they need,” he pointed out. Biden also said that he had promised Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to seek additional funding.
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson has also acknowledged, “The Ukrainians continue to fight bravely, but they are running low on supplies.”
But Putin has shown no signs that he plans to slow down the Russian military operation in Ukraine. He said Sunday in a state media interview referencing Kiev’s backers in NATO that “For them, this is about improving their tactical positions. But for us, this is destiny. This is a matter of life and death.”
RU forces appear to have temporarily established limited and localized air superiority and were able to provide ground troops with close air support during the final days of their offensive operation to capture Avdiivka, likely the first time that RU forces have done so in UA.1/5 pic.twitter.com/jkbL7VLOb7
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) February 18, 2024
The West ultimately has no more cards to play. As we wrote earlier it is time to stop promoting the fiction that Ukraine has any hope of ejecting Russia from the approximately 20% of the country it has captured — and time to start earnestly pursuing a settlement that restores peace and ends a proxy war that has cost countless lives while only benefitting the military-industrial complex. Â
Meanwhile, Sen J.D. Vance makes a good point, the lame attempt at pushback of the community note notwithstanding…
If Putin is such an existential threat to Europe why isn’t every European country emptying it armories and its treasury to help Ukraine? https://t.co/ahvrCa4fw8
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) February 17, 2024
Tyler Durden
Sun, 02/18/2024 – 13:25
