The administration of incumbent US President Joseph Biden is speeding up billions of dollars ' worth of weapons to Ukraine due to fears that US policy on war may change after the inauguration of Donald Trump.
This is reported by the Washington Post, writes UNN.
The Biden administration has been trying for 11 hours to provide billions of dollars ' worth of additional weapons to Ukraine, raising concerns inside the country that this could lead to the erosion of U.S. stocks and the depletion of resources from other hot spots, officials said.
This initiative is also due to the intensification of Russian attacks and the rapid seizure of territories. Washington hopes that the new supplies, along with Biden's permission to launch missile strikes deep into Russia and use anti-personnel mines, will help Kiev gain an advantage.
However, part of the administration believes that without an increase in the number of Ukrainian military personnel, the situation will not be able to significantly change. The United States is calling on Ukraine to lower the draft age from 25 to 18 in order to attract the necessary 160,000 recruits. Washington calls on the Ukrainian leadership to use the new supplies to strengthen the army and counter aggression.
We will definitely continue to send weapons and equipment to Ukraine. We know this is vital. But just like human resources at this stage.In fact, we believe that human resources are the most vital need they have. Therefore, we are also ready to strengthen our training capabilities if they take appropriate steps to replenish their ranks."
A senior administration official said that while Ukraine was experiencing a shortage of weapons due to the delay in U.S. military aid, the situation improved significantly after Congress approved додаткове 61 billion in additional funding in April.
The arms gap between Ukraine and Russia has not yet been fully overcome, but the situation is much better. As for Manpower, this is already a matter of mathematics and physics
He and others commented on condition of anonymity to openly discuss sensitive assessments of the state of hostilities and the Biden administration's strategy.
I'm not trying to blame Ukraine for anything. This is a very difficult question for them, but over the past year, especially last year, they have simply not mobilized or trained enough soldiers to replace losses on the battlefield
The results of the Biden administration's foreign policy efforts are shaping his legacy after a first term marked by crises: the fall of Afghanistan, Europe's largest land war since World War II, and instability in the Middle East following Israel's response to the Hamas attack in October 2023.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. He announced the appointment of Keith Kellogg, a retired general and senior official of his previous administration, as special envoy for Russia and Ukraine.
Трамп призначив спецпредставником по Україні генерала у відставці Келлогга27.11.24, 20:13
Kellogg suggests that further assistance to Ukraine should be conditional on its participation in negotiations to end the conflict, although he also considers it necessary to arm Kiev even more actively in order to force the Kremlin to make concessions.
Despite concerns about Russia's military success, representatives of the Biden administration said that a serious breakthrough of Ukrainian defense lines is not expected in the near future. At the same time, they warn that the active use of the remaining funds from the допомоги 61 billion aid package may lead to an overstrain of US resources. Of particular concern is the decline in stocks of air defense interceptors and artillery shells, which are difficult to replenish quickly.