CNN
—
US President Joe Biden is set to announce an additional $1.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine during President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s planned visit to the White House. A significant increase in aid is expected to be headlined by the Patriot missile defense system included in the package, a US official told CNN.
There are two main deliverables. The first is the Patriot missile system. Complex, accurate and expensive, they have been described as the “gold standard” of US air defense. NATO takes great care of them, and the personnel operating them (almost 100 in a battalion for each weapon) must be properly trained.
The second is a precision-guided weapon for Ukrainian jet aircraft. Ukraine and Russia are armed with mostly “ridiculous” ammunition, fired wildly at their targets. Ukraine is deploying more and more Western-standard precision artillery and missiles, including howitzers and her HIMARS.
The new deal could include the supply of guided kits that Ukraine can use to bolt onto unguided missiles and bombs, or joint direct attack munitions (JDAM). This will increase the accuracy of ammunition for the Kyiv army and the rate of ammunition burn. Much of the $1.8 billion will fund munitions replacements and inventories.
These two major packages alone can influence the course of war. Russia’s most powerful threat today is its constant bombardment of its energy infrastructure. Hoping to undermine the high morale of the Ukrainians, the winter becomes colder and more intolerable, plunging the city into darkness for up to 12 hours a day, sometimes longer.
The Patriot air defense system could intercept numerous Russian missiles and attack drones. However, Ukraine already claims a high success rate. For example, on Monday, 30 out of 35 missiles were reportedly intercepted. The Patriot also shows that NATO’s best technology is at the table to help Ukraine win the war, or at least keep Russia out.
A more precise weapon is essential. So that Ukraine achieves its goals and does not leave civilians nearby. And that means that Ukraine will not go through the hundreds or thousands of shells that Russia supposedly burns down as it bombards the area it wants to seize.
As the war enters its second year, both sides’ munitions consumption rates will become a matter of survival.
It’s noisy, but that might be it. Kremlin watchers will love to analyze the latest statements of Russian President Vladimir Putin whenever U.S. arms deliveries improve Ukraine’s position. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that the latest tranche “will lead to an aggravation of the conflict and does not bode well for Ukraine.”
But Moscow is having trouble equipping and mobilizing its conventional forces and appears to lack new forces, aside from nuclear forces. China and India have joined the West in open statements against the use of nuclear weapons, making that option even less likely.
Western analysts have noted that Russia has consistently complained about these deliveries, but the reality of crossing what might have been seen as a “red line” in recent January response is relatively modest.
yes. With his massive $45 billion aid package underway, not all military, this is part of the consistent drumbeat from the Biden administration. The message is simple: Ukraine is getting as much help as Washington can provide, but the boots on the ground are in short supply and the help will not stop.
Whatever the ultimate truth of the matter, and military aid is opaque at its best, Biden has weakened Russia’s resolve and urged European partners to help more, making Ukraine’s resources seem limitless. In order to do so, Putin only wants to hear headline numbers in the billions.
This is trickier. Republican Kevin McCarthy, who is likely to be the new Speaker of Congress, has warned that the Biden administration cannot expect a “blank check” from the new Republican-led House of Representatives.
Remnants of that party’s Trumpist “America First” element question how much aid the United States should really send to the edge of Eastern Europe.
Realistically, the bill for Russia’s slow defeat in this dark and long conflict is relatively light for Washington given its nearly $1 trillion annual defense budget.
Zelensky’s physical appearance in Washington gave Republicans a sense of the urgency of fighting Ukraine and that Kyiv’s defeat would lead Russia’s nuclear-backed atrocities to NATO’s doorstep, after which the United States would boot on the・Definitely meant to remind you of what could be dragged into your boots: a ground war with Russia.
He’s an inspiring rhetoric, embodying how Putin’s war of choice turned ordinary Ukrainians into wartime heroes, much like a former reality TV star turned into an unexpected president. .
