The West was ‘overly optimistic’ about Russia's war against Ukraine in 2023 - NATO admiral
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Western countries were "overly optimistic" about Russia's war against Ukraine in 2023, Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of NATO's Military Committee, said, the Financial Times reported.
The West had a belief that arming Ukrainians with ammunition and training would lead them to victory. NATO now needs to be cautious and avoid becoming overly pessimistic about 2024, he said.
Read also: President’s Office cites three reasons for Ukraine's ‘slow’ counter-offensive
"The fact that Ukraine is still a sovereign state and that Ukrainians have regained 50% of what Russia seized in 2022, is great," the admiral emphasized.
Ukrainian counteroffensive - What's known
Ukrainian officials announced a spring 2023 counteroffensive by its Defense Forces, as Western nations formed a tank coalition and transferred their first modern tanks to Ukraine.
Read also: Ukraine breaks through first line of Russian defense – U.S. Joint Chiefs chair Gen. Milley
Western media at that time reported that Ukraine had launched a counteroffensive, citing attacks by the Armed Forces along the front lines in the country's southeast. The reports also indicated significant losses of equipment.
Later, Western media sources published reports claiming that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were advancing slower than expected, in particular, because the Russians had reinforced defensive positions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also admitted that progress was slower than hoped.
Western media at the end of July reported that Ukraine had revised its counteroffensive tactics in response to setbacks during the initial phase.
There was growing discussion about the stalled Ukrainian counteroffensive in the fall, as the Armed Forces had failed to achieve any major advances on the front lines in recent months.
Read also: One year of battlefield dynamics in Ukraine — NV analysis
Bloomberg wrote that Ukraine was disappointed that some allies had underestimated the scale of the battlefield and the strength of Russia's defense, which hindered Ukraine's counteroffensive.
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