US Official: Next few weeks of the war are 'critical'

Russia can launch a new offensive along "many" different vectors in the coming weeks, White House National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby told CNN on March 21.

Kirby added that the likelihood of Russia launching a new offensive along with Ukraine's planned spring counter-offensive made the next few weeks of the war "critical" and that the U.S. and other Western allies had to do everything in their power to make sure Ukraine was prepared.

"That’s where we’re taking battalions out of Ukraine right now and putting them through combined arms maneuver training," he said. "That’s why they’re ramping up training on things like the Patriot air defense system."

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed a similar opinion on March 16, declaring that "Ukraine doesn't have time to waste" ahead of its counter-offensive.

The Pentagon announced on March 21 that the U.S. would send older M1-A1 variants of its Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Doing so would allow the U.S. to deliver the tanks "by the fall of this year," Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said, as quoted by CNN.

Ukraine war latest: Japanese PM visits Kyiv; US to speed up Patriot, Abrams delivery

The Kyiv Independent