A former director of the Central Intelligence Agency has said that the Biden administration's latest package in support of Ukraine is not enough to prevent Vladimir Putin from making advances.
General David Petraeus, a former CIA director who also served in the army for almost four decades, said that the $400 million package announced by the government was significant but would fall short of measures needed to stop Russia from making incremental gains.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the package today during a visit to Kyiv. It includes armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons to be used against Russian forces on the front lines.
Petraeus said on CNN: "It comes on top of tens of billions of dollars, of course, from the U.S. and from various European and other Western countries. Is it enough? I fear not.
"What we need to be doing, all of us together, is to try to enable Ukraine to stop the Russian advances on the front lines. They're holding back very effectively, but the Russians are achieving incremental gains on a daily basis. And over time, that does accumulate.
"We have to help Ukraine change that dynamic and show Putin that he cannot continue to make advances and make gains and accept the costs because only when you change that dynamic will we see an opportunity for real, meaningful discussions about a ceasefire.
"Until then, Putin has every incentive to continue."
Petraeus recommended that the United States relax restrictions on tactical missile systems being sent to Ukraine, as these systems would enable Kyiv to strike deeper into Russian territory. He also recommended a greater international focus on the Black Sea, as Ukraine lacks naval power.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
In Kyiv, Austin told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that "the United States understands the stakes here, Mr. President," reassuring the leader that political changes in the U.S. amid a tight election race would not impact Western support for Ukraine in the war with Russia.
"I've seen bipartisan support for Ukraine over the last 2-1/2 years, and I fully expect that we'll continue to see the bipartisan support from Congress," Austin said.
Russian troops have continued to make gains in the Kursk region after an extended offensive from Ukraine temporarily caught the Kremlin off guard. Russia reportedly deployed 50,000 troops to the area at the cost of its military presence in the east, where the majority of the conflict has been fought.
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