Ukraine pleads with the U.S. to ramp up support against Russia – Politico

Ukrainian officials and European allies are intensifying their lobbying efforts in the United States to secure arms deliveries and training, as Washington’s support is under threat due to the new leadership in the House of Representatives and the crisis in the Middle East.

This information reported according to Politico.

A Ukrainian delegation was in Washington at the end of last week, where they presented Ukraine’s latest “wish list,” including training for their naval infantry in “ship-to-shore” operations, new air defense systems to counter Russian precision-guided munitions, and a modification of ATACMS with a single warhead instead of a cluster one, which was delivered last month.

“The visit is part of a larger pressure campaign by Ukraine and its allies to secure additional assistance as international support appears to waver,” the publication reports.

According to top U.S. military officials, Kiev has only a few weeks left before winter weather sets in and halts military operations.

A group of European politicians is planning a visit to the United States to try to convince Americans that aid to Ukraine will create jobs in the U.S.

Regarding the training of naval infantry for beachhead operations, Roman Tychkovsky, a former Ukrainian marine and current Defense Ministry official, told Politico that it is necessary to prepare for a river crossing operation at the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, aiming to reach Crimea.

“As soon as we can successfully cross the river and deploy our forces to the other side, we won’t have much in the way of obstacles for rapidly advancing closer to Crimea,” Tychkovsky said.

However, the conflict between Israel and Hamas has diverted attention from Ukraine’s dire situation. The new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, indicated that this week he would bring up a separate bill for aid to Israel, potentially delaying new assistance to Ukraine.