“I think we should be very careful about how we supply the Ukrainian army with what it needs, given that a fierce artillery battle is unfolding at the moment. Under these conditions, frankly, it will be difficult to maintain the morale of the Ukrainian forces, given the appearance bombardment to which they are exposed.

And a spokeswoman for the Atlantic Council explained that “Washington cannot allow this crisis to escalate,” noting that “speaking of concerns about NATO unity and concerns about American citizens supporting this conflict if it escalates, I think that keeping this unity will be more difficult.”

Varmut acknowledged that Russian troops were successfully advancing through the territory of Ukraine, and explained this by the fact that Moscow “narrowed its goals and focused its efforts on the offensive in the Donbass.” In addition, in her opinion, the nature of the east of Ukraine is more suitable for military operations with the use of artillery strikes.

Speaking about the possibility of strengthening the eastern flank of NATO, she acknowledged that the Baltic countries and Poland would like to see the permanent deployment of US forces. She indicated that the US is in contact with these countries on this issue, but no final decision has yet been made.