ISW: Western reluctance to supply Ukraine with higher-end weapons systems limits Kyiv's ability to continue large-scale counteroffensives

The Institute for the Study of War recently assessed Western discussions of supposed “stalemate” conditions and the difficulty of Ukraine regaining significant portions of its territory.

The ISW indicates that it was not just "slow authorization and arrival of aid" that have been limiting Ukraine’s ability to launch continued large-scale counter-offensive operations. "Factors endogenous to the Ukrainian military and Ukrainian political decision-making have also contributed to delaying counteroffensives."

The report highlights the fact that Ukraine has no significant domestic military industry to turn to without Western support. "The military aid provided by the US-led Western coalition has been essential to Ukraine’s survival," the ISW said, adding that "Ukraine can liberate critical terrain with the current and promised levels of Western support and that it is a matter of vital national interest for the United States and its Western partners that Ukraine do so."