2024-04-26 17:05:23
US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin announced a new round of $6 billion in aid to Ukraine on Friday, as Washington tries to catch up on deliveries to kyiv following months of deadlock in Congress.
The new component is the second announced this week, following billion-dollar aid to kyiv unveiled on Wednesday. These two amounts are part of the $61 billion assistance budget for kyiv voted this week in Congress and subsequently promulgated by Joe Biden, with Ukraine currently encountering difficulties in its war once morest Russia.
If the aid of one billion dollars announced on Wednesday will come from the stocks of the American army, that announced on Friday will come from contracts with the defense industry, or from partners. Which means it will take longer to reach the battlefield.
After promulgating a law on Wednesday providing $61 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine, Joe Biden promised a rapid massive shipment of weapons.
Partisan disputes
The United States is kyiv’s main military supporter, but Congress had not passed a major package for its ally in nearly a year and a half – mainly due to partisan wrangling.
Before this week, Washington had announced aid to Ukraine on only one occasion this year: a $300 million aid package in March made only possible by Pentagon savings on other purchases.
The adoption of this aid plan is a relief for the Ukrainian army, faced with a shortage of new recruits and ammunition, in the face of constant pressure from Russian troops in the east. The authorities predict a deterioration on the front potentially as early as mid-May.
And if the return of American aid will allow the Ukrainian army to regain the initiative once morest Russia, the preparation of a counter-offensive will take much longer, an American military official estimated on Thursday.
‘The Ukrainians have been rationing their ammunition for a while (…), so the Russians have, in short, regained the initiative,’ an American military official told the press on condition of anonymity.
Military aid from the allies “will allow the Ukrainians to begin to regain the initiative”, but “it will not be a rapid process”, she added.
The reception and operational implementation of new deliveries will take time, just to defend their positions. So I would not foresee any large-scale offensive at first,’ she added.
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