Russian forces will intensify their attacks on Ukraine to deal as much damage as possible to Kyiv’s defences before aid from the US arrives, it has been warned.
On Saturday, US aid for Ukraine worth $60billion (£49billion) finally passed through the House of Representatives.
The news will come as a major boost to Ukraine as its forces have been running low on ammunition and other resources in recent months.
But while the huge aid package will help Ukraine defend against Russia’s offensive, the next few weeks could be challenging as the weapons supply makes its way from Washington.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War think tank has said: “Ukrainian forces may suffer additional setbacks in the coming weeks while waiting for US security assistance that will allow Ukraine to stabilise the front, but they will likely be able to blunt the current Russian offensive assuming the resumed US assistance arrives promptly.
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“Russian forces will likely intensify ongoing offensive operations and missile and drone strikes in the coming weeks in order to exploit the closing window of Ukrainian materiel constraints.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to be well aware of this threat.
He urged the US to send the weapons quickly, saying: “We’ve had the process stalled for half a year and we had losses in several directions, in the east. It was very difficult and we did lose the initiative there.
“Now we have all the chance to stabilise the situation and to take the initiative, and that’s why we need to actually have the weapon systems.”
He added that the weapons should be sent to Ukraine “as fast as possible so that we get some tangible assistance for the soldiers on the front line as soon as possible, not in another six months so that they would be able to move ahead.”
While Ukraine is boosted by the news, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, said it was “nothing to celebrate.”
He added that Ukraine “will function a little longer, more money will end up in their pockets, more weapons will be stolen, and tens of thousands of Ukrainians will go into the meat grinder.”
He added: “But the inglorious end of the Kyiv regime is inevitable, regardless of this new [aid] package and all the futile efforts of their supporters in the US and NATO.”
