The meeting of NATO defense ministers coincides with Russia’s spring offensive. According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, this has already begun. Moscow wants to “make up for the lack of quality with quantity, even if this leads to significant losses”.
We ask the former commander-in-chief of the US Army in Europe, General Ben Hodges, about the prospects for the Russian offensive in the face of hesitant military aid from the West. And how Ukraine can stop the attack.
What can the NATO defense ministers do to counter the Russian offensive?
NATO defense ministers meet every month in the Ramstein Contact Group, sometimes in person, sometimes virtually. We don’t know for sure whether the so-called Russian spring offensive really started or not.
This shows how unprepared the Russian side is. In my estimation they don’t have much more to muster than a few more poorly trained infantry units from the mobilization that have scant support and don’t want to be on the front line.
Has the West failed Ukraine? The promised help arrives too late, for example the battle tanks.
NATO countries and other supporters have not abandoned Ukraine. All deliver large quantities of equipment, ammunition and other aid. This also applies to Germany, which provides the second largest support after the USA.
However, we are making a strategic mistake by not explicitly defining the goal that Ukraine must win the war. And that Crimea is crucial for this. We must give Ukraine everything it needs to liberate Crimea. These are primarily long-range precision weapons of all variants.
How can Ukraine stop the Russian attack?
General Cavoli, NATO’s Supreme Military Commander in Europe (SACEUR), says precision beats quantity. I agree: quality over quantity. Massed Russian infantry needs the support of massed Russian artillery. And that in turn requires headquarters, ammunition and transport.
By enabling Ukraine to engage these three components with long-range precision weapons, Ukraine can neutralize the Russian massed infantry and artillery.
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