West’s Ability to Arm Ukraine Continues to Wane

Update for Russian military operations in Ukraine for February 15, 2023:

– Ukrainian forces continue to lose ground along the line of contact;

– Bakhmut faces encirclement by Russian forces which Ukraine admits is using heavy artillery shelling, not “human waves” to destroy Ukrainian positions;

– NATO begins to admit to limits of what it can send Ukraine in terms of weapons and ammunition;

– Efforts by Western nations to increase production will still fall far short even after several years of expanding production lines;

– US announces plan to train Ukrainian forces to fight on less ammunition, using maneuver warfare instead;

-This requires long periods of complex training to be effective and is impractical for Ukrainian forces;

– The US is signaling that it is simply attempting to draw out the conflict for as long as possible;

References:

Reuters – NATO allies weigh more arms for Ukraine as Russian artillery batters Bakhmut (February 15, 2023):
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/…

Guardian – Ukrainians blow up bridge in Bakhmut amid reports Russia closing in (February 13, 2023):
https://www.theguardian.com/world/202…

US Department of Defense – Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hold a Press Conference Following the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, Brussels, Belgium (February 14, 2023):
https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcri…

Washington Post – Ukraine live briefing: NATO meetings focus on weapons production; U.S. general says Russia ‘lost’ (February 15, 2023):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/…

The Telegraph – US warns Ukraine it may not be able to continue ‘same level’ of support (February 14, 2023):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-new…

Politico – U.S. focuses on training Ukrainian troops to use less ammo (February 14, 2023):
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02…

Politico – U.S. tells Ukraine it won’t send long-range missiles because it has few to spare (February 13, 2023):
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02…