In an interview with “PBS News Hour” that aired Monday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan responded to criticism of the Biden administration for delaying the delivery of tanks and F-16s to Ukraine. , said they did not make much of a difference on the battlefield. And the “straightest line between Ukraine's performance and input” is “mobilization of human resources.” “In our view, Ukraine needs to make further efforts to strengthen its front lines in terms of the number of troops deployed on the front lines,” he said.
asked NewsHour foreign affairs and defense correspondent Nick Shiffrin. You didn't provide a tank, but you made the decision to provide a tank. You didn't give them F-16s, but you gave them those F-16s. Looking back now, do you think if you had provided one of these permits sooner, you would have made a difference in Ukraine during the war?”
Sullivan responded, “Have you seen a noticeable difference in terms of the battlefield since we provided tanks to Ukraine?” Similarly, have we seen any noticeable differences in the F-16? In our view, there is not a single weapon system that makes a difference in this fight. It's a human resource issue. And in our view, in terms of the number of troops on the front, Ukraine needs to make further efforts to strengthen the front. It's about munitions and everything else that has to do with a country's strength, morale, cohesion, and industrial base. ”
Shiffrin continued: “But I ask because Ukraine is losing more territory today than at any point this year. So do you really believe that nothing the United States had done earlier would have changed the situation? ”
Sullivan said, “We delivered the tanks, we delivered the F-16s, we delivered the HIMARS, we delivered the Patriots. We delivered a lot of the things they said earlier they wouldn't deliver. And we delivered the Ukraine. feel that they are in a more difficult position on the battlefield. was not then, but rather today, suggesting that there is no straight line between these weapons systems and how they perform on the battlefield. Most linear between Ukrainian performance and input. Where are the boundaries? It’s about mobilizing talent.”
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