‘It Complicates the Policy the More They Progress’ – Ukraine at War Update for Aug. 16

The White House confirmed on Thursday that Moscow was sending reinforcements to the Kursk region where Ukrainian troops have made spectacular gains over the past eight days but could not confirm the number of newly deployed troops.

“It’s not clear to us exactly how much they’re going to do, I mean how many forces they’re going to put there or what their intentions are, or what they’re going to do about what the Ukrainians are doing,” John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, said at a routine White House brief.

He said Washington is in contact with Ukraine “in real time” to understand the details of Ukraine’s counter-invasion.

“In the meantime, we’re going to continue to make sure that Ukraine has the weapons and capabilities that it needs to defend itself,” Kirby said, adding that the US would announce new military assistance packages to Ukraine “in the coming weeks.”

On the other hand, Reuters on Thursday cited a US official on condition of anonymity, as saying that it is difficult for the Biden administration at present to either condone or censure Ukraine’s use of US-supplied weapons in Kursk without knowing the objectives or scope of the operation.

“It complicates the policy the more they progress into Russia without defined terms,” the official said, on condition of anonymity.

Other Topics of Interest

Russia Claims Capture of Two More East Ukraine Villages

Russia has accelerated its advance across eastern Ukraine in recent months, looking to secure as much territory as possible before US President-elect Donald Trump comes to power in January.

He said that if Ukraine were to take villages and strike non-military targets using American weapons and equipment, it could raise questions.

Another unnamed official quoted by Reuters said that Washington’s stance is not to allow Ukraine to launch an invasion into Russian territory, though currently Kyiv technically is complying with these restrictions. 

Russian attacks kill five civilians and injure a dozen in Donetsk and Kharkiv regions

Moscow’s artillery and air strikes again rained down on civilian targets in eastern Ukraine this week, killing five.

The head of the Donetsk regional administration, Vadym Filashkin, posted to social media on Thursday that “one person was killed and three were injured as a result of today’s attacks on Donetsk Oblast. The Russians killed a 37-year-old man in the settlement of Mykolaivka… striking his house using tube artillery.”

Later in the day, he added that three more people were injured in an attack on a gas station in Pokrovsk, in the evening, two more civilians were killed in the nearby village of Verkhniokamianske.

“The Russians shelled the village with artillery in the evening, killing a 39-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman,” he wrote.

The same day, a Russian airstrike on the village of Prykolotne in the Kharkiv region killed two people and injured six others.

According to the regional prosecutor’s office, “On 15 August at around 15:20, the Russian Armed Forces carried out airstrikes on the village of Prykolotne in the Kupiansk district. A strike was recorded on the territory of a civilian enterprise. A fire broke out in a warehouse building with a total area of 800 square meters. Two men, aged 44 and 57, were killed. Five other people - two women and three men - were wounded. Those who were killed and wounded were employees of the company.”

Vice Presidential debate in US set for October, hopefully, to answer lingering questions about Ukraine-aid policy

The two major party picks for vice president in the US elections this November will square off for a debate on Oct. 1, in a match-up that many will hope clear up questions about each ticket’s view of foreign policy from 2025 forward.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance agreed Thursday to debate each other on the American CBS network on Oct. 1, coinciding with early voting in the general election in some states.

Vance, the Republican Vice Presidential nominee, spoke to veterans in western Pennsylvania Thursday and told them he was looking forward to the debates.

On Thursday, Vance posted on social media: “The American people deserve as many debates as possible... Not only do I accept the CBS debate on October 1st. I accept the CNN debate on September 18th as well. I look forward to seeing you at both!”

“Here’s what needs to happen now,” wrote Ryan Clancy on Thursday in “The Hill,” a renowned paper of record for Washington political news. “Both former President Trump and Vice President Harris need to explain — in detail — how they plan to handle Israel and Ukraine if they are elected. Nothing we’ve heard to date has remotely met this standard.

“Trump has, of course, promised he will end the Ukraine war within 24 hours, offering no details on how he would actually do it,” Clancy continued. “Meanwhile, he says the Harris campaign continues to coast on “vibes,” while most major media have not asked for clarity of either candidate’s positions.

“Would it be too much to ask both candidates how they plan to get us through this? If they are indeed planning a radical break with Ukraine or Israel, voters deserve to know now, especially given that most Americans still support sending aid to Ukraine... If either candidate doesn’t agree, they should tell us why.”

The Harris campaign said Thursday it will participate in three debates this election season: two presidential debates and one vice presidential debate. The campaign agreed to the presidential debate on ABC on Sep. 10, but not necessarily the bouts with Trump proposed on Fox News and NBC for Sept. 4 and 25, respectively. Instead, Harris agreed to debate Trump again in October “if he shows up” to the ABC showdown.