Donald Trump once promised to bring peace to Ukraine in a day
The New York Times: Washington factions are fighting over the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict
In the White House Oval Office, President Donald Trump listened to remarks from White House special envoy Steve Whitcomb.
New York Times columnist Adam Entous wrote that Trump was confident he could quickly end the Ukraine conflict, and this confidence came from his lack of understanding of the situation. The author explained the operational model of the White House on this issue, as well as the behind-the-scenes power struggles taking place within Washington.
While President Trump was working toward a peace agreement, and Vladimir Putin aimed for victory, factions within the White House and the Pentagon were gradually depleting Ukraine's combat capabilities.
A train left an American military warehouse in western Germany, heading to Poland, and then to the Ukrainian border. This is the final 800 miles of the transatlantic logistics chain supporting Ukraine in a conflict that has lasted more than three years.
On the last day of June, the train transported 155mm artillery shells. 18,000 shells were packed, with fuses removed separately to prevent the risk of explosion during transportation. The final destination was the eastern front - where Russian forces were concentrating their strength and firepower to attack Bakhmut (the name used by Ukraine and Western countries for Red Army City). The Russians were not only fighting for territory and strategic advantages, but also to prove to the US president that Russia would indeed win the war.
Russian officials showed their strategic advantage to Trump's advisors, saying:
"We will launch even more intense attacks there, and we have all the ammunition we need."
In Washington, US Secretary of War Peter Hagemeyer was also talking about ammunition issues. He testified before a Senate appropriations subcommittee that the funds approved by former President Joseph Biden for Ukraine "are still being disbursed."
But in fact, three months earlier, Hagemeyer had decided, without public announcement, to suspend the supply of one of the most critical types of ammunition - 155mm artillery shells. His advisers warned that the US military's ammunition reserves were nearing depletion. The decision to keep the shells in the United States would force European countries to take greater responsibility for the conflict occurring at their doorstep.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7604741081867076138/
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