The West plans increase of military aid to Ukraine as Russia plan its next big assault

By Stephen Collinson, WASHINGTON US

Western leaders are grappling with how far to escalate their military aid to Ukraine as the Russian invasion seems headed for a brutal new turn, a decision that may rest on whether the West's goal is to push for a total defeat of President Vladimir Putin.

Oleg, 56, mourns for his mother Inna, 86, killed during the war against Russia in Bucha, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 10, 2022. (AP Photo)

Heroic resistance from Ukrainian troops, with the help of Western anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, has already claimed a famous victory the saving of Kyiv and the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky. But now, Russia has named a new general to lead what has been a chaotic war effort and is grouping its forces in eastern Ukraine for a fearsome, concentrated assault that could stretch Ukraine's outnumbered forces as never before.

The shift of strategy is forcing Western leaders to consider their own willingness to provide more offensive armaments to Kyiv ahead of what is shaping up to be a vicious battle that could dictate how much of Ukraine survives as a nation-state.

Pressure on the West to do more is being exacerbated by the fact that Russia's new approach augurs yet more carnage for the civilians that it has been deliberately targeting with a vicious war plan.

As Washington evaluates how to respond to Russia's latest maneuvers, there were sighs of relief in the US capital as French President Emmanuel Macron prevailed in the first round of the presidential election. But the survival in office of a key member of the Western leadership coalition will only be assured if he can beat the runner-up, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen -- a long-time Putin sympathizer -- in the tight campaign that will play out ahead of the second round in two weeks.

New questions for the West about how best to bolster Ukraine's resistance follow a skittishness in Washington earlier in the war about antagonizing Putin with, for example, the transfer of Soviet-era jets from NATO states like Poland to Ukraine. More recently, the US has signaled it is willing to help its partners to get Soviet-era tanks to Ukraine. And Britain promised a robust package of arms following Prime Minister Boris Johnson's dramatic visit to Kyiv on Saturday.

Decisions on exactly what kind of weapons to provide could depend on the end game the West sees in the country, especially after Zelensky's increasingly caustic appeals for more offensive weaponry following the discovery of atrocities against Ukrainian civilians when Russian forces pulled back from Kyiv.

Cemetery workers remove a body from a mass grave, for identification in a morgue, in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 10, 2022. (AP Photo)

President Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan gave the impression on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that Washington's policy would follow Kyiv's lead. But he also implied that broader US assistance and unprecedented sanctions on Russia's economy were also designed to better position Ukraine for any future ceasefire talks -- despite the failure of such efforts so far, given that there is little sign Putin is serious about a de-escalation.

"This is not a story of anyone standing by," Sullivan told CNN's Jake Tapper. "We are taking aggressive action in an effort to both help the Ukrainians succeed on the battlefield and help the Ukrainians have the best possible position at the negotiating table."

But Republican Rep. Liz Cheney gave voice to a faction in Washington that says the US should be doing far more, though the Wyoming congresswoman is not advocating the dispatch of US troops to Ukraine. Western leaders have been concerned about igniting direct conflict with Russia amid fears of a nuclear escalation.

"We should not be talking about, as Jake Sullivan did just now, improving Zelensky's position at the negotiating table," Cheney said, also on CNN's "State of the Union."

"This is about defeating Russian forces in Ukraine. It's about much more than Ukraine," Cheney said, calling for shipments of tanks, artillery and armored equipment to be sent to the country. "We need to be doing much more, more quickly." - CNN