Washington had been preparing for a ‘protracted conflict’ in Ukraine even before Russia’s attack, officials said
The United States stands ready to support Ukraine in the conflict with Russia for the long term, the Washington Post reported, citing administration officials who say such plans have been in the works for some time.
A senior State Department official told The Post on Friday that President Joe Biden would like to see a “a possible negotiated conclusion of the war”, expressing hope that waves of Western arms deliveries to kyiv and a campaign of tough sanctions against the Russian economy would weaken Moscow’s ability to fight back.
“While it is certainly difficult – we certainly don’t wrap it up – in terms of navigating these stormy waters, our guide is that the outcome of Russia’s ability to meet its maximalist demands is really bad for the United States. United, really bad. for our partners and allies, and really bad for the global community,” said the anonymous official.
They added that Biden’s team had “discussed the possibility of a protracted conflict with global fallout” even before February, at a time when US officials repeatedly predicted an imminent Russian attack on its neighbor.
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Although supporting Ukraine’s government has been costly for Washington — which has spent more than $50 billion on various forms of aid since March — the Post noted that Biden is willing to risk “a global recession and growing hunger” to prevent Russia from achieving its goals.
Speaking at a recent meeting in Brussels, where officials from dozens of countries met to discuss ways to further strengthen Kyiv, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said “we are here to dig into our spurs,” to add “By working together, we can help Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s cruel onslaught and we can strengthen Ukraine’s security in the long term.”
General Mark Milley, chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said hostilities could be “very prolonged” and can last for “years.”
“This is a very large conflict that Russia has started, and I think NATO, the United States, Ukraine and all the allies and partners who support Ukraine are going to be involved in it for a while. some time,” he added. the general said, while noting that it was unlikely that Moscow could be deterred from its targets unless there was a US military deployment – a move he said he “would not recommend.”
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