The US is growing increasingly frustrated with Ukraine's tactics. It could put the counteroffensive in jeopardy.
- US officials are growing frustrated with how Ukraine is fighting the war, The New York Times said.
- The officials are worried that Ukrainian forces are not consolidating their power in the right areas.
As Ukraine presses ahead in its slow-moving counteroffensive against Russia, some US officials appear to be growing increasingly concerned.
Half a dozen US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The New York Times and other outlets that they are starting to question some of Ukraine's military tactics, including where on the frontline they are placing their combat units.
Ukrainian commanders are dividing their forces equally between the east and the south of the country when they should be consolidating them more in the south, the officials said.
They urged Ukraine to push through the vast minefields left behind by Russia in the area, even if this means losing more soldiers and equipment in the process, according to the reports.
Russia's heavy fortifications have forced Ukrainian forces to leave behind some of their advanced Western tanks and manually clear the mines instead, often using small teams of soldiers who need to crawl on the ground.
"Everyone is now an expert on how we should fight," Ukraine's defense ministry said on social media Thursday. "A gentle reminder that no one understands this war better than we do."
However, experts are worried that such unrealistic expectations could mean Ukraine gets less support from Western countries going forward, putting the counteroffensive in jeopardy.
Marina Miron, a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of War Studies at King's College London, told Insider that "politicians are realizing that it is not going to be a short war and it will most likely take many years to support Ukraine."
"The support might diminish, not only because of lack of performance but also because politicians don't understand the military," she said.
David Lewis, a Senior Associate Fellow at the think-tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told Insider that the current frustration among Western officials "might prompt a rethink in strategy."
"Any direct intervention by NATO countries remains extremely unlikely and talk of no-fly zones or early NATO membership for Ukraine is fanciful," he said. "Instead, Western governments are adapting to a longer time horizon and will need to recalibrate support for Ukraine accordingly."
"There is a growing realization that an early Ukrainian victory that ends the war is unlikely and that Ukraine and the West are involved in what could be a long, drawn-out conflict," he added.
"We may see more calls for negotiations. There are likely to be some quiet, behind-the-scenes contacts, but since Russia does not appear ready to back down, they are unlikely to progress far," Lewis added.
Some have suggested it may be time for Ukraine to negotiate with Russia rather than prolong the current stalemate.
"Ukraine's Western partners have every reason to expect a return on the considerable military aid they have provided over the past year-and-a-half. But this does not grant anyone the right to pressure Ukraine into surrender," said Maksym Skrypchenko, president of the Kyiv-based Transatlantic Dialogue Center.
"Instead, Ukraine's lack of progress over the past two months should serve as a wake-up call for Western leaders. Their response will shape the geopolitical landscape for decades to come."