The US weapons will arrive in time to reinforce the Ukrainian army against the Russian summer offensive. The invading troops are already advancing on the Donetsk front, in the east of the country. Ukraine is facing an increasingly high shortage of ammunition and is inferior in all material aspects and in the number of soldiers. The White House is ready to deliver in a week, according to The Washington Post, the first round of artillery ammunition, short-range missiles for Himars rocket launchers, and air defense systems.
The 60.84 billion dollars (about 57 billion euros) in US aid are not enough to reverse Russian dominance on the battlefield, but they are enough to contain its push. Russia’s Ministry of Defense budget for 2024 will exceed 129 billion euros, triple that of Ukraine’s. According to military theory, an army needs a minimum superiority of three to one over its opponent to attack with certain guarantees of success.
Ukraine also needs to strengthen its anti-aircraft defense arsenal as its interception rate has fallen from 80% in 2023 to 60% this spring. Only two out of seven Russian rockets were shot down early Saturday due to the maximum capacity of Russia’s ballistic arsenal and minimum capacity of Ukrainian anti-aircraft weapons.
Defense officers and analysts consulted by this newspaper indicate that NATO countries should assist Ukraine with at least six times more aid than what they have been receiving if they want to significantly push back Russia. However, this is unlikely as it would represent a radical change in international efforts against Russia.
Washington’s aid does not include F-16 fighters produced in the US but provided by European countries starting this summer. The tension in the Middle East also plays against Ukrainian interests as Washington needs its weapons for protecting its bases and supplying Israel. Since the start of the war, Ukraine has received some 42
