Washington is trying to reassure its Ukrainian ally after leaking secret documents

Secretary of State for Defense Antony Blinken at a press conference on April 11, 2023. REUTERS - ELIZABETH FRANTZ

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In these documents appeared on the internet and unveiled by the American press, the American intelligence services question the ability of the Ukrainian army to carry out the counter-offensive announced and prepared for months.

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Washington wants to reassure Ukraine about the strength of its alliance and its support after the leak of secret documents rather embarrassing for the United States. Since the disclosure of secret documents revealing once again the extent of US espionage, including against its allies, US officials have been working to reassure their interlocutors, including Kiev.

It was first Anthony Blinken, the head of American diplomacy who picked up the phone to talk with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, and to assure him of his country's unwavering support. It was also US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin who spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov, saying after this meeting that the Ukrainians had in his opinion "the capabilities they need to continue to succeed.

In the leaked Pentagon documents, the American services do not hide their doubts and concerns about the military capabilities of the Ukrainians, not to defend themselves as they have been doing successfully for a year, but to lead this famous counter-offensive that should allow them to regain territory from the Russians, either in the East, or in the south of the country.

Insufficient training, lack of ammunition...

According to documents analyzed by the Washington Post, U.S. intelligence is concerned about "persistent deficiencies in the training of men and ammunition reserves," which could "strain any progress and worsen casualties during the offensive." The document concludes that the Ukrainians could achieve only "modest territorial gains" against the Russians – a far cry from the successes of last autumn.

The Americans are also concerned, says the France-Press Agency, about the worrying state of Ukrainian air defenses that could run out of ammunition by the end of May. These signals are not very encouraging, therefore, in the run-up to the counter-offensive, and which contrast very sharply with the discourse of confidence in Ukrainian military capabilities, officially adopted for weeks by the US administration.

► Read also: Leak of confidential American documents: Russian operations in Africa detailed

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• United States
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