The United States and its NATO allies expect the UAF to launch a spring offensive against Russian forces in the coming weeks. This was stated Monday during a press briefing by Julianne Smith, permanent representative of the United States to NATO.
Answering questions from journalists on the eve of Finland’s accession to NATO, which will officially take place in Brussels on Tuesday 4 April, Julianne Smith commented on the situation in Ukraine. According to her, the Russian army is apparently trying to launch an offensive in the east of the country, despite the fact that “it has not yet managed to achieve major victories on the battlefield”.
“We expect the Ukrainians … to launch their own spring offensive in the coming weeks. We … leave to the discretion of the Ukrainians … not only the timing of the spring offensive, but also the specific tactics,” Smith said.
Responding to the question whether NATO gives advice to Kiev regarding Bakhmut’s withdrawal, the American diplomat stressed that the alliance, in general, “does not give any advice to the Ukrainian military command”.
“Individual allies are providing security assistance, and some of them are providing advice and guidance if the Ukrainians request it, as part of their own overall approach and strategy,” Smith explained. She pointed out that Washington was trying to leave the decision to keep Bakhmut “in the hands of the Ukrainian military command, so that it determines where and how it will engage in battle with Russian troops.”
“It’s their fight. They protect their territory. We help them defend their territory,” added Smith, referring to the APU.
Smith recalled that the official ceremony to raise the Finnish flag at NATO headquarters will take place on April 4, NATO Day. On Tuesday, members of the North Atlantic Alliance will celebrate the 74th anniversary of the founding of NATO.
“Obviously…Vladimir Putin assumed that the North Atlantic Alliance would split or fall apart and…would be unable to continue to support the people of Ukraine,” Smith said. “In fact, the exact opposite happened. NATO is stronger and more united than ever, and tomorrow we will honor the 31st member of the alliance.
In addition, a meeting of NATO foreign ministers will be held in Brussels on Tuesday, in which the Finnish foreign minister will participate for the first time. The meeting will include several sessions, including a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission, with the participation of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. According to Smith, participants in the meeting will reaffirm NATO’s commitment to “support Ukraine for as long as necessary”.
In another session, there will be a meeting with NATO partners in the Indo-Pacific region, which will be attended by the foreign ministers of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and of the Republic of Korea.
