Two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, any notion of “war fatigue” would only serve the Kremlin’s interests and weaken the Western support Kiev relies on to counter Putin’s military. However, in order to continue the defense, the Ukrainian forces need more and newer Western weapon systems, said the Ukrainian ambassador in Bucharest, who also detailed what types of weaponry Ukraine has on the priority list.
“We are now approaching two years of war, we see that this conflict continues and is just as deadly as it was at the beginning. For this reason it is necessary to be fully aware that we cannot afford this “war fatigue”. I think this idea can be part of Russia’s information operations“, says Ihor Prokopchuk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Romania in a discussion with the Romanian mass media, quoted by Hotnews.ro.
According to ABC News, US officials assess that “the end of March is a crucial moment for the fate of the Ukrainian troops”, if the US Congress fails to immediately adopt the military aid package.
This week, the White House made a direct connection between the Russians’ capture of Avdiivka and the Ukrainians’ lack of ammunition, which forced them to withdraw from a fortified line that has resisted Russian attacks since 2014. American officials predict that similar scenarios will play out in other parts of the front, with Kiev having to “make difficult choices about where to deploy its remaining air defenses.” The Russians sensed the opportunity and stepped up both air and ground assaults.
The U.S. has so far sent $44 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine, consisting of sophisticated weaponry including Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, Bradley and Stryker combat vehicles, a Patriot battery, HIMARS and 31M1 launchers, and Abrams tanks. But, ABC points out, without ammunition, this weaponry becomes useless. In addition, Ukraine needs money to build secret runways and hangars for the F-16 aircraft that are due to arrive this year.
Meanwhile, European countries are rushing to raise “emergency” 1.5 billion dollars, according to the FT, to buy Ukraine artillery shells. The scheme is coordinated by the Czech Republic, which “took the initiative while the rest of the countries still have disagreements regarding the expansion of the EU’s main military support facility for Kiev,” the British publication also states. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told his EU counterparts that Ukraine needed 2.5 million artillery shells this year, but had only received 400,000. By March, a million shells should have already been sent.