CIA director briefed Zelensky on US expectations for Russia’s battlefield planning

[Scott]

 

CIA Director Bill Burns briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv last week on the US’ expectations for Russia’s battlefield planning in the spring, according to a US official and two Ukrainian sources familiar with the meeting.

The secret meeting comes as US officials are closely monitoring a potential Russian offensive in the coming months – and in the midst of a fraught debate between the US and its European allies over whether to send increasingly sophisticated and long-range weaponry to Ukraine. Western defense leaders are scheduled to meet Friday to discuss further weapons shipments to Ukraine.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/19/politics/cia-director-burns-zelensky-meeting-ukraine/index.html

[Tug]

Send lots of modern tanks and attack aircraft its going to orck hunting season soon on a serious note I expect vaddie is going to go all out human wave probably through Belarus towards Kiev sure would be nice to behead the snake before something like that happens 

[Kwasaki]

Tank and plane suppliers seem to have a problem. 

14 soficicated Brit tanks is a splash in a bucket. 

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

Tank and plane suppliers seem to have a problem. 

14 soficicated Brit tanks is a splash in a bucket. 

It’s a start.

And Challenger 2 Tanks make something a little more substantial than a ‘splash’.

[ozimoron]

Germany have not ruled out Leopard tanks but want unanimous EU consent. My money is on Turkey being the holdout. They should be sanctioned as they are major exporters to Russia.

[Kwasaki]

59 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It’s a start.

And Challenger 2 Tanks make something a little more substantial than a ‘splash’.

There considered a excellent tank buy in country the size of Ukraine you need a lot more, training and backing them up is a problem.

 

The Leopard tanks would be more practical and there's 1000's available.

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by Kwasaki

[Chomper Higgot]

15 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

There considered a excellent tank buy in country the size of Ukraine you need a lot more, training and backing them up is a problem.

 

The Leopard tanks would be more practical and there's 1000's available.

 

The absence of the very best assistance is not an excuse for criticism of the very excellent assistance being provided.

[Bkk Brian]

12 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

There considered a excellent tank buy in country the size of Ukraine you need a lot more, training and backing them up is a problem.

 

The Leopard tanks would be more practical and there's 1000's available.

 

They are a great tank yes but there's not that many available for Ukraine. There are hundreds in storage that need  refurbishment and that takes at least a year. Each country also needs to way up how many they need to keep themselves as protection. I've seen an estimate of about 330 would be the realistic figure available but in this post it gives a good breakdown of Europe's and NATO inventory of Leopards. 

 

https://www.iiss.org/blogs/military-balance/2023/01/ukraine-can-the-german-leopard-change-its-spots

[ozimoron]

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The absence of the very best assistance is not an excuse for criticism of the very excellent assistance being provided.

It's a valid criticism. Ukrainain soldiers are dying needlessly over German intransigence regarding the tanks.

[Chomper Higgot]

6 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

It's a valid criticism. Ukrainain soldiers are dying needlessly over German intransigence regarding the tanks.

The UK’s provision of Challenger Tanks has put the spotlight back on Germany.

However, it would be to deny realpolitik to not accept that in a war with Russia, German support has implications that hand a propaganda victory to Putin.

 

It’s not as simple as shipping tanks from Germany.

[Kwasaki]

21 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The absence of the very best assistance is not an excuse for criticism of the very excellent assistance being provided.

One specific tank would be much better for logistic tank supplies once they get to be used.

[Chomper Higgot]

9 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

One specific tank would be much better for logistic tank supplies once they get to be used.

Better in that respect yes, but I’m quite sure the Challenger tanks will be effective on the battlefield.

 

 

 

 

[Kwasaki]

4 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Better in that respect yes, but I’m quite sure the Challenger tanks will be effective on the battlefield.

 

Maybe why they are deploying them in Kiev i heard,  they should  keep them in that one place. 

 

Ammunition is different to Leopards maybe training time too.

 

In Iraq the Challengers took out Russian tanks 4 kilos away. 

 

[Paddy 696]

On 1/21/2023 at 4:40 PM, Bkk Brian said:

They are a great tank yes but there's not that many available for Ukraine. There are hundreds in storage that need  refurbishment and that takes at least a year. Each country also needs to way up how many they need to keep themselves as protection. I've seen an estimate of about 330 would be the realistic figure available but in this post it gives a good breakdown of Europe's and NATO inventory of Leopards. 

 

https://www.iiss.org/blogs/military-balance/2023/01/ukraine-can-the-german-leopard-change-its-spots

Many  Challangers available from middle East. However Tanks are Urgently  needed Now! 

[internationalism]

I am not sure, if it was spotted already in the discussion, but above picture is not of bill burns, but his predecessor, john brennan, who was at office 2013-17.

Shows, how serious CNN editorial work really is.

 

It transpires now, that ukrainians don't follow agreements with the USA on battlefield tactic - stop wasting donated armaments on fronts, which can't be defended. Withdraw and save lives. Stop attacking crimea and demanding it's incorporation as a condition for peace negotiations. Stop attacking outside ukrainian borders, including at sea. That would only bring serious retaliation. And it also weekens internal integrity of NATO, some members are increasingly uncomfortable and don't want escalation of war.

 

"Multiple administration officials have begun worrying that Ukraine is expending so much manpower and ammunition in Bakhmut that it could sap their ability to mount a major counteroffensive in the spring.

“I certainly don’t want to discount the tremendous work that the Ukrainians’ soldiers and leaders have put into defending Bakhmut — but I think it’s more of a symbolic value than it is a strategic and operational value,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Kyiv, for now, has ignored Washington’s input."

 

‘Little fissures’: The U.S.-Ukraine war unity is slowly cracking apart

A tough week for U.S.-Ukraine news reveals an imperfect harmony."

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/12/biden-united-states-ukraine-relationship-cracks-00086654

[rabas]

1 hour ago, internationalism said:

I am not sure, if it was spotted already in the discussion, but above picture is not of bill burns, but his predecessor, john brennan, who was at office 2013-17.

Shows, how serious CNN editorial work really is.

That OP image in not John Brennan. If you'd ever met John Brennan you would know. This is John Brennan.

 

 

The person in the image is also not  Bill Burns, it is General David Petraeus who was in related CNN video. The paragraph with Bill Burns name is not the image heading, so you have made several mistakes even before you start erroneously dissing NATO and the US.