Jake Sullivan, former national security advisor under Joe Biden, has denied that the administration focused on preventing escalation by Russia or Ukraine, insisting its main priority was to supply Ukraine with weapons.

Jake Sullivan, former national security advisor under Joe Biden, has denied that the administration focused on preventing escalation by Russia or Ukraine, insisting its main priority was to supply Ukraine with weapons.

Source: Sullivan in an interview with Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Responding to a question about restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US long-range weapons to strike Russian territory, Sullivan “completely rejected” the notion that the US strategy under Biden was primarily about “managing escalation”.

Quote: “The main strategy was to deliver an unprecedented amount of military aid to Ukraine and impose historic sanctions on Russia. If you look at the quantity of weapons we supplied and the speed with which it was done – I think it exceeded any expectations in February 2022.”

Details: Sullivan stated that the US had continued delivering weapons to Ukraine even during moments of “heightened tension and a high likelihood of potential Russian tactical nuclear weapon use”.

Quote: “Yes, we imposed restrictions on long-range strikes against Russia for a significant period. But at the time, and still today, we believe such strikes would have brought limited results. They are never going to be a silver bullet in this war.”

More details: Sullivan emphasised that the Biden administration’s full track record does not support the notion of restraint.

Quote: “This was a story about rapidly supplying Ukraine with vast amounts of weapons, with very limited exceptions. What the Trump administration is doing today directly contradicts our strategy. It harms Ukraine’s position both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.”

Background:

Last week, the Pentagon announced it would pause the transfer of some artillery munitions and air defence assets to Ukraine, citing the need to preserve arms for other threats.On Friday 4 July, US President Donald Trump held a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which they discussed the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine.Recently, commenting on the halt of some types of munitions to Ukraine, the Pentagon claimed that the Biden administration had “recklessly handed out weapons” for four years.Following the Trump-Zelenskyy call, the Pentagon announced it is sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine on the US president’s orders.

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