Biden officials privately doubt that Ukraine can win back all of its territory; U.S. to announce missile defense system for Ukraine

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(CNN)  White House officials are losing confidence that Ukraine will ever be able to take back all of the land it has lost to Russia over the past four months of war, US officials told CNN, even with the heavier and more sophisticated weaponry the US and its allies plan to send.

 

Advisers to President Joe Biden have begun debating internally how and whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should shift his definition of a Ukrainian "victory" -- adjusting for the possibility that his country has shrunk irreversibly.

 

US officials emphasized to CNN that this more pessimistic assessment does not mean the US plans to pressure Ukraine into making any formal territorial concessions to Russia in order to end the war. There is also hope that Ukrainian forces will be able to take back significant chunks of territory in a likely counteroffensive later this year.

 

A congressional aide familiar with the deliberations told CNN that a smaller Ukrainian state is not inevitable.

 

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https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/28/politics/white-house-ukraine-projection/index.html

 

 

 

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U.S. to announce purchase of medium- to long-range surface-to-air missile defense system for Ukraine

(CNN)  The US plans to announce as soon as this week that it has purchased an advanced, medium-to-long range surface-to-air missile defense system for Ukraine, a source familiar with the announcement tells CNN.

 

President Joe Biden, who is currently meeting with G7 leaders in Germany for a summit primarily focused on Ukraine, announced recently that the US would provide Ukraine with "more advanced rocket systems and munitions" as its war with Russia grinds on. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is slated to virtually address Biden and other G7 leaders on Monday.

 

In response to requests by Ukrainian forces, other military assistance is also likely to be announced this week, including additional artillery ammunition and counter-battery radars. Ukrainian officials have asked for the missile defense system, known as a NASAMS system, given the weapons can hit targets more than 100 miles away, though the Ukrainian forces will likely need to be trained on the systems, a source said. The NASMAS system the same one that protects Washington, DC, and the area around the nation's capital.

 

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https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/26/politics/us-missile-defense-system-ukraine-coming-announcement/index.html