It is impossible to overstate how incredibly thankful Ukrainians are to the American people for their ongoing assistance in repelling Russia’s criminal aggression.
When Congress recently passed aid for Ukraine, social media was covered with dozens of videos of Ukrainian soldiers thanking America for supporting them and of a multitude of photographs of the Ukrainian parliament, packed with more stars-and-stripes than DC on the Fourth of July. Everyone in Kyiv understands: American support is a key element of Ukraine’s ability to win.
However, despite the assistance finally passing and getting the president’s signature, weeks have gone by and a significant amount of the approved aid has not yet made it to the battlefield. This, along with the White House’s absurd policy of not allowing Ukraine to carry out military strikes within Russia, has cost lives and provided a stark reminder of what happens when US aid runs out: Russia advances.
This past month, lacking sufficient weapons and Washington’s approval to strike targets inside of Russia, Ukrainian soldiers were forced to watch as enemy troops amassed just across the border for a new offensive into Ukraine.
The dread of seeing that disaster was about to unfold, and not being able to do anything about it, was palpable.
The fear turned to terror as Russia did exactly as was forecast, and eventually pressed into Ukraine in the Kharkiv area, killing dozens and providing one of Russia’s largest territorial gains in two years.
This all could have been prevented.
When Ukraine is armed, it is formidable.
Illustrating the effectiveness of American weaponry in Ukrainian hands, more than 3,000 Russian tanks have been destroyed as Russia nears having 500,000 casualties since February 2022. --->READ MORE HERE
The slow trickle of US aid and restrictive Biden administration policies have forced Ukraine onto the “back foot” in its fight against Russia — as the enemy forces continue their unrelenting push into Ukrainian territory near Kharkiv, the second-largest city in the country.
“Right now, the Russians have the initiative across the entire theater. They’re dictating the place, the time, the intensity and the tempo of military operations,” George Barros, the Institute for the Study of War’s Russia team lead told The Post.
“The Ukrainians are on the back foot and are forced to react.”
The Biden administration just announced it would send an additional $275 million in aid to replenish Ukraine’s supply of “urgently needed” weaponry, such as rockets and artillery rounds — but it could be too little, too late.
The latest package is the fifth tranche of aid for Kyiv since Congress approved a $60 billion supplemental package last month, however, as US lawmakers debate the bill, it choked off the flow of weapons to the region for months.
That delay has been costly, forcing Ukraine to cede additional territory while creating a crisis of morale for the country’s volunteer armed forces.
“This time last year there was no problem with Ukrainian manpower. There were volunteer drives where men were signing up in huge numbers. They were coming off successful counteroffensives in 2022 and received new equipment from the West in early 2023. Morale was high and things were hopeful for the future,” Barros said.
But things look very different today after a series of setbacks on the battlefield and the slow response by Congress to approve more aid.
“[Ukrainian forces] feel abandoned. Morale is low, they don’t feel supported. They know DC is constraining their ability to defend themselves,” Barros said.
“They’re not enthusiastic about going to fight because they understand there are materials shortages, so there’s no guarantee they’ll be equipped, armed, and trained properly.” --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
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