U.S. intelligence does not believe that a decrease in U.S. aid for Ukraine will have a major impact on the battlefield in the short term but will become a problem later once Russia regroups, CNN reported on Jan. 19, citing anonymous official sources.
More than $61 billion in U.S. assistance remains stuck in Congress due to political infighting, raising concerns in Kyiv about shortages of money and arms needed to resist Russian aggression.
According to officials cited by CNN, Russia is currently struggling to regroup its forces, which is buying Ukraine some time.
Despite Ukraine's 2023 counteroffensive and subsequent Russian attacks along the eastern front, the battle lines had been relatively static in recent months.
The lack of U.S. support could become more palpable further down the road as Moscow ramps up its defense production and secures further supplies from abroad. There are also speculations that Russia may launch a new wave of mobilization after the 2024 presidential election, having a larger manpower base than Ukraine.
Another concern, CNN wrote, is that European allies could also begin decreasing their aid if they see the U.S. pulling out. Shortages of Western weaponry could prevent Ukraine from carrying out some of its high-profile operations, like strikes against the Russian Black Sea Fleet and occupied Crimea, the news outlet's sources said.
While the current opposition to aiding Ukraine comes only from the Republican side of Congress, the 2024 presidential election could see the return of Donald Trump as president.
Trump has extensively criticized the level of assistance that President Joe Biden's administration threw behind Ukraine and claimed that he could have solved the war in "24 hours."
The Kyiv Independent news desk
