The war between Russia and Ukraine continues, and the U.S. military, which provoked it, has stayed out of the way. However, it praised Ukraine as cannon fodder. John Kirby, the Pentagon's press secretary, praised the resistance efforts of the Ukrainian military as Russia continued its military operations against Ukraine. At the same time, the U.S. military has set up a hotline with the Russian side to prevent itself from getting involved in the war in Europe.
In an interview with CNN Live, John Kirby praised the performance of the Ukrainian army, saying, "They fought bravely on the streets and outside the city, and their fighting was very creative." Still, as for what appears to be a standstill for the Russian convoy outside Kiev, Kirby said he feels Russia is still focused on completing the siege of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.
"As of this morning, we still think that the advance of Russian troops is about 25 kilometers from the city center, but they are trying to approach," he said. They are still outside the city, but we still believe that their intention is to try to surround Kiev and eventually occupy it. ”
Although Russian President Vladimir Putin said the military operation was "going according to plan," Kirby gave a different assessment, "The Russians are confused, they are frustrated, they are frustrated, they are slowed down by the stubborn and determined resistance of Ukraine." We also think that they have fallen. They have logistical and maintenance issues. They were running out of fuel, and some of the soldiers were running out of food. They were amazed at the way and effectiveness with which ukrainians defended their cities and people. ”
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said it destroyed 20 Russian vehicles near Khostomer Air Base. Videos posted on social media showed Ukrainian soldiers walking past damaged and burned vehicles with V markings indicating they were Russian troops from Belarus.
Previous satellite imagery showed that the 40-mile(about 63-kilometer) convoy started just north of Horstrome Air Force Base. On February 24, the airport was reportedly occupied by Russian troops.
In response to the 20 Russian military vehicles destroyed, the Twitter account of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said: "In this day, the special forces destroyed a total of 20 enemy combat vehicles in Khostomer. The battle was jointly initiated by the Military Intelligence Service (GUR) of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and special forces led by local resistance groups. ”
While the United States has praised Ukraine's resistance, it does not want to be involved. A U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday that the Pentagon had established a new line of defense with the Russian Defense Ministry to prevent "miscalculations, military incidents and escalations" in the region when Russia invaded Ukraine. In addition to not getting involved, the United States and its allies have aggressively supplied weapons, sending millions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine's armed forces. Despite Moscow's warnings against foreign interference, the Ukrainian armed forces are still using these weapons against Russian troops.
The United States said it did not have troops in Ukraine, but U.S. and NATO allies in Europe feared that there could be spillover effects, including surprises, on the occasion of Russia's largest attack on a European country since World War II. A senior U.S. Defense Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "The Defense Department recently established a de-conflict line with the Russian Defense Ministry on March 1 to prevent miscalculation, military incidents and escalation of the conflict." ”
The move is just the latest effort to ease the growing tensions between the United States and Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last weekend that he was putting his nuclear forces on high alert, a clear warning to the West.
Earlier on Wednesday, russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying that World War III would be a nuclear conflict, a remark that added to the unease. Meanwhile, the U.S. military said Wednesday it would delay the test launch of the scheduled Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. Announcing the action on Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman Kirby said: "We recognize how important it is for the United States and Russia to keep in mind the risks of miscalculation in the current tense situation and to take steps to mitigate them."