(MENAFN- UkrinForm) U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan believes that U.S. military aid will help Ukraine mount a counteroffensive in 2025.
That's according to The Financial Times , Ukrinform reports.
Speaking at the FT Weekend Festival in Washington on Saturday, Sullivan said that he still expects "Russian advances in the coming period" on the battlefield, despite the new U.S. funding package approved last month, because "you can't instantly flip the switch."
At the same time, he said that with the new aid from Washington, Kyiv would have the capacity to "hold the line" and "to ensure Ukraine withstands the Russian assault" over the course of 2024.
And pointing to the scenario for the war next year, Sullivan said Ukraine intended "to move forward to recapture the territory that the Russians have taken from them."
His comments about a potential counteroffensive by Ukraine represent the White House's clearest articulation of how it views the conflict evolving if president Joe Biden wins re-election in November.
But Donald Trump, the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, has been skeptical of Ukraine aid and has vowed to try to end the conflict quickly and seek a negotiated settlement.
According to the media outlet, any new offensive in 2025 by Ukraine would be dependent on more funding from Congress, and approval by the White House.
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