Delay in American aid allowed Russian troops to approach Kharkiv, – CNN

The breakthrough towards Kharkiv has become “one of the largest advances of Russian forces,”

This information reporeted by CNN.

This opportunity was made possible by the delay in American aid and the overly slow delivery, which, according to a channel analyst, “will stretch out for days and weeks.” As a result, today Kyiv and its Western allies seriously fear that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will not be able to hold the front line.

Jim, what you’ve heard and predicted is exactly what’s happening. They are clearly advancing, and Kyiv anticipated this. But how strong is its defense?

JIM SHUTTO, CNN’s chief national security analyst:

This is precisely what Western intelligence was concerned about: while the US is now sending additional aid to Ukraine, the prolonged delay in providing this assistance and the delay in delivering it to the front line is something that Russian forces may try to exploit for their benefit. And this, apparently, has become one of the factors behind the recent, and as you said, Julia, one of the largest advances of Russian forces that we’ve seen in recent times.

The goal seems to be to create what Russian officials call a buffer zone inside Ukraine. Of course, this is still sovereign Ukrainian territory, but they are trying to reclaim the lands that, as you remember, Russia managed to take in the early stages of the war—although Ukrainians then recaptured them during the counteroffensive.

The thing is, they’re throwing all their forces onto the front line: they’re approaching Kharkiv with columns of armored vehicles and concentrated shelling that has been going on for several days and weeks. The question is, can the Ukrainian forces hold the front line? We know they’re sending reinforcements there, but, Julia, their problem is not only the prolonged delay in American military aid but also the lack of personnel on the Ukrainian side of the front line, on the Ukrainian side of the battlefield.

So the question is, how much territory can Russia capture? Can Ukraine hold them back? Could this lead to a breakthrough? In any case, Russia is at least trying.