Pentagon disclosures anger Kiev, according to Politico

​Senior officials in Kiev are “pounding their fists” over leaked US intelligence that appears to downplay Ukraine’s ability to successfully mount a spring counteroffensive. The anger stems from an assessment made by the Pentagon in February that claimed Ukrainian forces would only be able to make “modest territorial gains” in the long-anticipated operation. An unnamed Ukrainian defense official also told the outlet that “there are some people who continue to be hesitant” about the chances of Kiev’s expected counteroffensive succeeding. At an official level, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said on Twitter that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had personally called him on Tuesday to affirm “ironclad US support.” According to the leaked documents, Ukraine is planning to launch a major counteroffensive within the next few weeks, with the ultimate goal of capturing territories that joined Russia last autumn and cutting off Moscow’s land access to the Crimean Peninsula. Even before the alleged classified documents appeared online, a number of Western officials publicly doubted Ukraine’s chances of success, citing a lack of manpower, supplies, Senior officials in Kiev are “pounding their fists” over leaked US intelligence that appears to downplay Ukraine’s ability to successfully mount a spring counteroffensive. The anger stems from an assessment made by the Pentagon in February that claimed Ukrainian forces would only be able to make “modest territorial gains” in the long-anticipated operation. An unnamed Ukrainian defense official also told the outlet that “there are some people who continue to be hesitant” about the chances of Kiev’s expected counteroffensive succeeding. At an official level, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said on Twitter that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had personally called him on Tuesday to affirm “ironclad US support.” According to the leaked documents, Ukraine is planning to launch a major counteroffensive within the next few weeks, with the ultimate goal of capturing territories that joined Russia last autumn and cutting off Moscow’s land access to the Crimean Peninsula. Even before the alleged classified documents appeared online, a number of Western officials publicly doubted Ukraine’s chances of success, citing a lack of manpower, supplies,​