On March 31, 2024, the Russia-Ukraine war continued. Ukrainian soldiers used drones to monitor the situation on the front line in the direction of Cremina, Ukraine.
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Ukraine received a major reprieve from the United States over the weekend after the House passed a $61 billion foreign aid package for Kyiv after months of delays and opposition from hardline Republicans.
The bill, which includes additional aid to Israel and Taiwan, is before the Democratic-majority Senate, which is expected to approve it this week before going to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked U.S. lawmakers in the House of Representatives for passing the bill, saying the bill “will prevent the expansion of the war, save thousands of lives, and help our two countries become stronger.”
but on social media platform X SundayZelensky urged the Senate to pass the bill as soon as possible, warning that “the time between political decisions and actual damage to frontline enemies, between the approval of the program and the reinforcement of our fighters must be as short as possible.”
Time is of the essence for Ukraine, which has been asking for more air defense systems, artillery and ammunition as its troops struggle to stem the tide of Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Defense analysts believe that while the funding may help inject new energy and morale into Ukraine’s troubled military operations, new aid and supplies must be provided to Ukraine immediately.
Ukrainian forces are likely to suffer further setbacks in the coming weeks while awaiting U.S. security assistance, which will allow Ukraine to stabilize its front lines, but if restored U.S. aid arrives in time, they may well be able to blunt Russia’s current offensive. Institute for War Studies noted.
“Russian forces are likely to intensify ongoing offensive operations and missile and drone strikes in the coming weeks to take advantage of the closing window on Ukrainian material restrictions,” ISW said in an analysis published on Sunday.
A crew member of a Czech-made DANA 152 mm self-propelled howitzer prepares to fire on Russian positions near the occupied Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on March 1, 2024, in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.
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In the short term, Ukraine’s top priority is to replenish artillery, air defense systems and missile inventories depleted by recent Russian air strikes, particularly those targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Matthew Saville, director of military science at RUSI, a London-based defense think tank, pointed out that although the procurement of new supplies may cause a lag, the Pentagon said that some military hardware is ready to be donated to Ukraine to minimize delivery time.
“This is unlikely to immediately match Russian firepower, but it will help close the gap,” Saville said.
Suspended death?
Analysts point out that while the latest aid will undoubtedly inject new energy and morale into Ukraine’s military operations, funding remains a bone of contention. They noted that further U.S. aid could not be guaranteed, especially given the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the presidential election later this year.
RUSI’s Savill noted: “The plan will be welcomed by the Ukrainian military … but the point is that this funding may only help stabilize Ukraine’s position this year and start preparing for operations in 2025.”
Savill said certainty about funding for 2024 and 2025 would help Ukraine plan its defense for this year. Especially if supplies of ammunition from Europe also materialize, but “2025 will require further planning and funding, and between now and then we have US elections,” he said.
On March 30, 2024, during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a Ukrainian soldier drove a British FV103 Spartan armored personnel carrier on the road leading to the town of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region.
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It is uncertain whether U.S. aid to Ukraine will continue during the second term of former President Donald Trump, who has made vague and unsubstantiated statements about Ukraine and how he would end the war within 24 hours. statement.
Supported by Timothy Ash, associate fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at Chatham House and senior sovereign strategist at RBC BlueBay Asset Management It proposed using billions of dollars worth of Russian frozen assets to fund Ukraine and said the latest aid would not change the fact that Ukraine would continue to need significant funding.
“Please note that passage of the $61 billion package in the House does not change concerns about long-term Western funding of Ukraine,” Ashe said in emailed comments on Monday.
He added: “Ukraine can only ensure victory in the war and the financing of successful reconstruction if the West pulls its finger and allocates $330 billion in fixed assets to Ukraine.”
race against time
Before the House of Representatives approved the aid package on Saturday, senior Western defense officials painted a bleak picture of artillery and ammunition shortages in eastern Ukraine. They warned that troops were rationing the use of artillery shells.
A top U.S. general told Congress in early April, For every artillery shell fired by Ukrainian troops, Russia fired fiveand that gap could double in the coming weeks.
A mismatch in weapons, equipment and manpower in eastern Ukraine – a region that has been likened to a “meat grinder” due to Russia’s strategy of sending large numbers of newly mobilized, inexperienced soldiers to the front lines to overwhelm Ukrainian forces – has allowed Russia to For months, the armed forces have made progress, furthering their efforts to capture the entire Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
A Ukrainian policeman walks past a destroyed residential building after the village of Ocheretain came under artillery fire and air strikes near the town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region on April 15, 2024, during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine . \
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Russia has slammed the latest U.S. aid package for Ukraine, claiming it will only lead to more carnage in the conflict.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that the U.S. House of Representatives’ approval of further aid to Ukraine “will make the United States of America richer, further destroy Ukraine and lead to the death of more Ukrainians, which is the result of the Kiev regime” mistake”.russian news agency TASS reports. Peskov’s Russian Foreign Ministry counterpart Maria Zakharova said the new aid package would “exacerbate the global crisis”.
Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, was particularly scathing about the funding, saying it was “nothing to celebrate” and that Ukraine “will operate a little longer, with more money” “It will fall into their pockets, more weapons will be stolen” and tens of thousands of Ukrainians will be put through the meat grinder. “
“But regardless of the new (aid) plan and all the futile efforts of U.S. and NATO supporters, the ignominious end of the Kiev regime is inevitable,” he claimed.
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