Ex-CIA chief explains why Ukrainian army failed to break through during summer counteroffensive

He said this at the presentation of the book Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine, which he co-authored, BBC News Russia reports.

"There were delays in providing Ukrainians (with military equipment - ed.), our tanks have only recently reached them. There were delays in making decisions on (Abrams tanks - ed.), delays in approving Leopard tanks, we delayed decisions on cluster munitions that could be very useful, longer-range missile systems for multiple launch rocket systems, and finally, Western-style aircraft," the general said.

According to him, the military doctrine states that in order to break through the defense, Ukraine needed air superiority and many other things. 

"We did not give this to the Ukrainians," Petraeus emphasized.

He also pointed out the mistakes of the West that partially led to the war in Ukraine.

"I think one of the reasons why Vladimir Putin thought he could get away with invading Ukraine was because we did not take sufficient action after the occupation of Crimea," the former CIA chief said.

• The day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the war with Russia had entered a new phase. In addition, the president noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are not retreating from Russian troops.