Western media continue to cover the full-scale war in Ukraine. Thus, at the end of the May 22–26 business week, they wrote about why Ukraine’s counteroffensive was delayed but its start wouldn’t be announced; how the weather impacts the advancement of Ukrainian forces; and how the U.S. public’s attitude towards Russia’s war in Ukraine changed.
Meanwhile, the likely successor of General Mark Milley as the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was announced, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz once again declared his willingness to speak with Vladimir Putin.
offers a digest of Western mass media at the end of the May 22–26, 2023, business week.
Is Ukraine’s counteroffensive already underway?
The start of the counteroffensive won’t be announced. Photo: Getty Images
Warmer weather in Southern Ukraine reinvigorated expectations of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, The Washington Post reports. According to the Post, heavy rains in the past few months made the ground unsuitable for armored vehicles, which had been given to Ukraine in large numbers by the Ramstein Group.
The recent patch of dry weather created nearly optimal conditions for the much-anticipated counterattack. The author believes that, although we haven’t yet seen any lightning sweeps by Ukrainian troops similar to those conducted in the Kharkiv or Kherson regions last year, the counteroffensive may already be underway — quietly.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, made it clear on May 25 that Ukraine wouldn’t announce the counteroffensive "with a solemn cutting of the red ribbon."
"This is not a ‘single event’ but dozens of different actions to destroy the Russian occupation forces in different directions, which have already been taking place yesterday, are taking place today, and will continue tomorrow," he explained.
Where Ukraine’s assaults can begin
The most suitable weather for the counteroffensive is in two Ukrainian regions. Photo: Getty Images
The Post notes that the weather has been closely watched in recent weeks in the Zaporizhzhia region, which is expected to be a major focus of Ukrainian forces as they seek to recapture the city of Melitopol and break the "land bridge" between mainland Russia and illegally annexed Crimea.
April was an "extremely wet month" in Ukraine, said Inbal Becker-Reshef, a researcher at the University of Maryland, while May has been remarkably dry. According to her, the lowest levels of soil moisture in Ukraine are now in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
Ben Hodges, a former commander of U.S. Army Europe, added that ground conditions were certainly one factor that Ukraine would take into account in planning new offensive operations.
However, it was just one of several factors, including the readiness of Ukrainian troops and whether their Russian adversaries had been degraded by airstrikes or distracted by prolonged fighting in certain areas like Bakhmut.
How many Americans support Ukraine in the war?
To what extent the Americans support Ukraine. Photo: Getty Images
While a bipartisan majority of the American public believes Russia’s war in Ukraine is unjustified, support for providing Ukraine with weapons has dropped over the past 12 months. This was demonstrated by a poll released this week by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and NORC at the University of Chicago, The New York Times reports.
The poll, which was conducted in mid-April, showed public support for arming Ukraine weakening: 50 percent of Americans strongly favored or somewhat favored the United States’ sending weapons, down from 61 percent in mid-April 2022.
Public support for imposing economic sanctions on Russia and accepting Ukrainian refugees into the United States has also declined. Only support for sending government funds to Ukraine has remained largely unchanged since roughly a year ago.
Still, a strong majority of Americans — some 70 percent — disapproved of Russia’s invasion. There are partisan differences: 82 percent of Democrats said they believed that Russia’s actions were an unjustified attempt to gain territory, versus 69 percent of Republicans.
The findings reflect a difference between Americans’ principles and what they are willing to pay for, said Sibel Oktay, a nonresident senior fellow of public opinion and foreign policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
The results also suggested that Americans might not feel their country has as much of a stake in the war today as it did a year ago, Dr. Oktay noted. Sha added that these were important signals for the Biden administration to heed in its domestic messaging about the United States’ interests in the conflict.
Who will replace General Milley in the U.S. Army?
General Milley retires in four months. Photo: Getty Images
President Joe Biden on May 25 formally announced his nomination of Air Force chief General Charles Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Reuters reports.
In this position, he will replace General Mark Milley, whose four-year term ends in September 2023.
If confirmed by the Senate, Brown would become only the second Black officer to hold the job after Colin Powell, who served in the position from 1989 to 1993.
Who Charles Brown is and what he thinks of Ukraine
Charles Brown will succeed Mark Milley in his position in September. Photo: Wikipedia
Before becoming the Air Force chief of staff in June 2020, Charles Brown was commander of Pacific Air Forces for the U.S. Indo-Pacific command, BBC reports.
He started his military service as a command pilot, logging 3,000-plus flying hours and 130 combat hours.
General Brown played a significant role in arming Ukraine. Photo: Wikipedia
The White House said General Brown had played a significant role in providing military aid to Ukraine and was experienced in navigating the U.S.-China relations.
In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder by a policeman in Minnesota in 2020, General Brown released an emotional video speaking about his own personal experiences as a black man in America.
Scholz is willing to talk to Putin again. What for?
Scholz is willing to start talking with Putin. Photo: Getty Images
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was willing to start talking with the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who was dubbed the World's Most Dangerous Fool by an American journalist Thomas Friedman, again. Relations between the two leaders are currently almost nonexistent.
The last known phone call between the two leaders took place in December, when they agreed to "stay in touch."
The last time Putin and Scholz talked was in December 2022. Photo: Getty Images
Scholz at the time called for a diplomatic solution to the war, including a withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, while Putin rebuked the German supply of weapons to Kyiv.
In the interview, Scholz said he remained committed to peace talks.
More than a year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, several countries are ramping up diplomatic efforts to bring both parties to the negotiating table. Denmark said earlier this week it was willing to host peace talks in July 2023. Several countries from the Global South, led by China and Brazil, have also tried to position themselves as intermediaries.
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