US, UK Vow to Keep Supporting Ukraine Regardless of Counteroffensive

Ukrainian officials have said their Western supporters should lower their expectations of the planned assault

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his British counterpart, James Cleverly, vowed on Tuesday that the US and Britain will continue supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia regardless of the result of Kyiv’s expected counteroffensive.

“We need to continue to support them, irrespective of whether this forthcoming offensive generates huge gains on the battlefield, because until this conflict is resolved and resolved properly, it is not over,” Cleverly said at a joint press conference with Blinken in Washington.

Blinken strongly backed Cleverly’s comments. “I can only violently agree with my friend and strongly endorse what he’s just said. We have exactly the same perspective,” he said.

Blinken also disputed the notion that support for Ukraine in Washington was waning, pointing to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) recently expressing strong support for backing Kyiv. “I would refer you, for example, just recently to the very strong statement made by the Speaker of the House McCarthy about support for Ukraine and the enduring support and determination to see this through,” he said.

The pledge from Cleverly and Blinken comes as there are many signs that Ukraine’s counteroffensive will not be successful. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said the West should lower its expectations for the assault.

One of the Pentagon documents that appeared online as part of the Discord leaks was a US assessment from February that showed the US did not believe Ukraine could regain significant territory. Last week, Blinken said the Ukrainian military was in better shape now than it was a few months ago, but POLITICO reported on April 24 that current assessments also doubt Kyiv can gain much territory.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.