{"id":73872,"date":"2022-09-13T18:43:51","date_gmt":"2022-09-13T18:43:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/09\/13\/us-leaders-avoid-victory-dance-in-ukraine-combat-advances\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:07:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:07:58","slug":"us-leaders-avoid-victory-dance-in-ukraine-combat-advances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2022\/09\/13\/us-leaders-avoid-victory-dance-in-ukraine-combat-advances\/","title":{"rendered":"US leaders avoid victory dance in Ukraine combat advances"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. leaders from President Joe Biden on down are being careful not to declare a premature victory after a Ukrainian offensive forced Russian troops into&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/ukraine\/2022\/09\/11\/russian-forces-retreat-amid-ukrainian-counteroffensive\/\" target=\"_blank\">a messy retreat<\/a>&nbsp;in the north. Instead, military officials are looking toward&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\">the fights<\/a>&nbsp;yet to come and laying out plans to provide Ukraine more weapons and expand training, while warily awaiting Russia\u2019s response to the sudden, stunning battlefield losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although there was widespread celebration of Ukraine\u2019s gains over the weekend, U.S. officials know Russian President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/vladimir-putin\" target=\"_blank\">Vladimir Putin<\/a>&nbsp;still has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/ukraine\/2022\/08\/25\/putin-orders-russian-military-to-increase-troops-amid-ukraine-losses\/\" target=\"_blank\">troops and resources to tap<\/a>, and his forces still control large swaths of the east and south.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI agree there should be no spiking of the ball because Russia still has cards it can play,\u201d said Philip Breedlove, a retired U.S. Air Force general who was NATO\u2019s top commander from 2013 to 2016. \u201cUkraine is now clearly making durable changes in its east and north and I believe that if the West properly equips Ukraine, they\u2019ll be able to hold on to their gains.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2022\/08\/25\/vampire-to-transform-ukraine-pickups-into-deadly-missile-launchers\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Vampire-2.webp_.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">\u2018Vampire\u2019 to transform Ukraine pickups into deadly missile launchers<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The L3Harris-made Vampire will be included in the nearly $3 billion in aid announced Wednesday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawmakers particularly pointed to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pentagon\/2022\/08\/24\/us-to-send-ukraine-anti-air-anti-drone-systems-as-war-hits-milestone\/\" target=\"_blank\">the precision weapons and rocket systems<\/a>&nbsp;that the U.S. and Western nations have provided to Ukraine as key to the dramatic shift in momentum, including the precision-guided High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, and the High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile, or HARM, which is designed to target and destroy radar-equipped air defense systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey\u2019re there, they\u2019re in theater, and they\u2019re making the difference,\u201d Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In the hands of highly motivated Ukrainian fighters who are making the most of weapons ranging from off-the-shelf drones and abandoned Russian arms to advanced weapons from the West, the HIMARS are enabling Ukrainians \u201cto turn the tide, dramatically,\u201d Coons said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, a senior defense official said the U.S. is looking at future needs, including discussions about providing more intensive combat training for larger Ukraine units, a change from current training focused on smaller teams learning to handle specific weapons. It is also considering sending additional air defense systems, as well as lethal strike drones and more surveillance drones. The official was one of two who briefed reporters Monday on condition of anonymity to discuss planning details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2997\" height=\"1998\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22256055180760.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"A launch truck fires the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) at its intended target during the African Lion military exercise in Grier Labouihi complex, southern Morocco, on June 9, 2021.\" class=\"wp-image-106984\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22256055180760.jpg.jpg 2997w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22256055180760.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22256055180760.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22256055180760.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22256055180760.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22256055180760.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2997px) 100vw, 2997px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &#8211; A launch truck fires the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) at its intended target during the African Lion military exercise in Grier Labouihi complex, southern Morocco, on June 9, 2021. (Mosa&#8217;ab Elshamy\/AP, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ukraine\u2019s launch in recent days of a much-anticipated counteroffensive \u2014 in a different part of the country from where Russian troops occupying Ukraine had massed strength to meet it \u2014 has brought on the biggest territorial changes in months in the 200-day war, launched when&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-moscow-kyiv-626a8c5ec22217bacb24ece60fac4fe1\" target=\"_blank\">Putin rolled Russian forces into the neighboring country<\/a>, targeting its Western-oriented government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. officials acknowledged that the U.S. provided information to help the Ukrainian counteroffensive, but declined to say how much or if Western officials helped strategize the idea to throw Russian forces off guard by calling attention to attack plans in the south, while actually plotting a more formidable campaign in the east.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S provided information \u201con conditions\u201d in the country, said one of the officials, but \u201cin the end, this was the Ukrainian choice. The Ukrainian military and the Ukrainian political leadership made the decisions on how to conduct this counteroffensive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ukrainian forces claimed Monday to have retaken a wide band of territory and more than 20 Ukrainian settlements from Russia, pushing all the way back to the two countries\u2019 northeastern border. Russian soldiers were surrendering in such numbers that Ukraine was having difficulty making room for them, Ukrainian military officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ukrainians have pounded 400 targets in all with the HIMARS since the U.S. began supplying them, using them \u201cwith devastating effect,\u201d Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters late last week as Ukraine\u2019s counteroffensive was getting underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The truck-mounted, GPS-guided systems fire faster, farther and more precisely than the Soviet-designed rocket launchers otherwise used by both Russia and Ukraine. They can hit targets up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. Ukrainian forces have used the 16 HIMARS and several similar systems to strike supply lines, ammunition depots and other key Russian targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2022\/08\/24\/us-to-send-ukraine-anti-air-anti-drone-systems-as-war-hits-milestone\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22236277488366.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US weapons package for Ukraine stresses long-haul commitment<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Pentagon is expected to contract for the defense materiel, apart from billions in equipment it has sent Ukraine from its stockpiles.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ukrainians \u201cbelieve that this has happened because of the new technology equipment and weapons that we\u2019ve sent them. They &#8230; said well, if you would have sent them six months ago,\u201d said Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have them six months ago, but you know, we had to build the weaponry, and train their people on it, takes time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, Ukrainian leaders are still pressing for more \u2014 including fighter jets and the longer-range Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, a surface-to-surface missile that the U.S. has so far declined to send.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A key question going forward will be how much more Congress and the American public are willing to spend on the war in Ukraine, which the U.S. and the West say also represents a significant threat to Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s unclear if, or how, Ukraine fighters\u2019 successes in recent day will affect the ongoing debate. The White House has asked Congress to greenlight an additional $11.7 billion in aid as part of an overall government funding measure that lawmakers must approve before the end of the month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI haven\u2019t seen any lack of appetite so far\u201d for continuing funding for Ukraine, said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. \u201cI think to see the ability to take the help that they\u2019ve been given and then be clearly successful in some of their efforts is an encouragement to want to do more of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. \u2014 the lead contributor to Ukraine\u2019s war effort among NATO members \u2014 has poured more than $15 billion in weapons and other military support into Ukraine since January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Biden acknowledged the battlefield gains for Ukraine over the weekend but refused to say more. \u201cI\u2019m not going to speak to that now because things are in process,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Breedlove noted that despite the recent battle losses, Putin still has \u201ca lot of tanks and a lot of trucks and a lot of people that he can still throw at this problem. They\u2019re just not his best tanks, his best trucks or his best people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But he warned that winter may bring the most daunting challenge. Putin\u2019s moves to shut down fuel supplies to Europe, which is expected to increase prices, are likely aimed at turning public opinion across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEven though Mr. Putin\u2019s military has taken a beating on the military front, his big card, yet probably to play is how well does Europe hold together through a winter that Mr. Putin is going to make completely miserable for the European people,\u201d Breedlove said. \u201cI think Mr. Putin is desperately trying to hang on to winter because his big hope now is to separate the European people from their European political leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim, Lisa Mascaro and Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. officials know Russian President Vladimir Putin still has troops and resources to tap.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":106982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1354,3053],"class_list":["post-73872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"M6MJM264QNFZ7PMDKXFCRSQE24","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/ukraine\/2022\/09\/13\/us-leaders-avoid-victory-dance-in-ukraine-combat-advances\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US leaders avoid victory dance in Ukraine combat advances - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"U.S. officials know Russian President Vladimir Putin still has troops and resources to tap.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US leaders avoid victory dance in Ukraine combat advances\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"U.S. officials know Russian President Vladimir Putin still has troops and resources to tap.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2022\/09\/13\/us-leaders-avoid-victory-dance-in-ukraine-combat-advances\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-09-13T18:43:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T14:07:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lolita C. 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