The aid is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for Ukraine’s victory. What is needed as well is a change of strategy on the part of the Biden administration.
The House vote on the four bills that provide assistance to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan on Saturday provided yet another illustration to the old adage, attributed to Winston Churchill, that one can always count on the Americans to do the right thing – after they have tried everything else.
While the United States needed to act with more urgency to deter all its adversaries around the world, it was arguably in Ukraine that protracted congressional inaction has had the most severe consequences.
As Ukraine’s anti-air capabilities are being depleted, Russians are killing scores of civilians in their attacks on cities and non-military infrastructure.
Slowly but surely, Russian forces are making advances on the battlefield, which raises the risk of a partial collapse of Ukrainian defenses.
The Ukraine bill, which provides almost $61 billion in funding to help Ukraine’s military and public finances, alongside a substantial amount to modernize and replenish US stockpiles, is the largest of the supplemental bills hitherto authorized by Congress.
Indeed, its original rationale was to cover Ukraine’s needs throughout 2024.
Paradoxically, the long delay had one unintended benefit in spurring new European initiatives, such as the Czech plan to source artillery shells from hidden sources around the world or French President Emmanuel Macron’s new commitments to Ukraine’s security.
