Will US aid reach Ukraine before it's too late? (2024)

The United States last week unlocked $61 billion in military and economic aid for Ukraine, with the Biden administration claiming it was ready to begin shipping the first tranche of aid - some $1 billion worth - within a matter of days.

But there are fears this may already be too late for Kyiv's troops who are facing a brutal onslaught from their invigorated Russian enemies.

Ukraine's top commander said yesterday that his outnumbered, outgunned and war-weary soldiers were forced to pull back from frontline positions in Donetsk as Vladimir Putin's forces threatened to overwhelm them.

'The situation at the front has worsened,' Syrsky wrote on the Telegram app, describing the 'most difficult' areas as west of occupied Maryinka and northwest of Avdiivka - the strategic town captured by Russian forces in February.

It comes as Moscow's men claimed last week to have captured the centre of Ocheretyne - a local rail hub just 20 miles from the city of Pokrovsk that forms the linchpin of Ukraine's military operations in the region.

Other divisions of the Russian army are bearing down on settlements surrounding Chasiv Yar - another key strategic town on elevated ground that could serve as a gateway to the cities of Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

And perhaps most worryingly,Syrsky said his forces were closely monitoring an increase in the number of Russian troops in the area of Kharkiv - Ukraine's second largest city - leading to speculation Moscow could be gearing up for a ground assault of the metropolis.

Biden promised on Wednesday that US weapons shipments would begin making their way into Ukraine within hours, as he signed into law a $95 billion measure - $61 billion of which was allocated for Ukraine - that also included assistance for Israel, Taiwan and other global hot spots.

That $61 billion includes$14 billion of weapons and ammunition; $8 billion in economic support; $5 billion for US manufacturing of widely used 155mm artillery shells; $23 billion to replenish US military stockpiles; and $11 billion to fund current US military operations, such as training Ukrainian troops.

The first slice of aid is reportedly worth around $1 billion and will be sourced directly from military storage facilities in the US and Europe where the hardware is already prepared and in working order.

US officials said the $1 billion tranche includes armoured vehicles, Stinger air defence munitions, additional ammunition for high-mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS), 155mm artillery ammunition, TOW and Javelin anti-tank munitions and other weapons that can immediately be put to use on the battlefield.

The announcement marked an end to the long, painful battle with Republicans in Congress over the assistance urgently needed by Kyiv.

But the weeks of hold-up allowed Russia's forces to consolidate their defensive lines over winter before steadily pushing westward, grinding down dwindling numbers of ammo-starved Ukrainian defenders and slowly making gains.

And Ukrainian lawmakers pointed out that what's coming first is not always what front-line commanders need most.

'The logic behind this first package was, the US finds our top priorities and then you see what you have in the warehouses,' said Davyd Arakhamia, a lawmaker with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party.

'And sometimes they do not match.'

Zelenskyyesterday pleaded with American officials to deliver the first round of aid immediately, making a specific reference to much-needed Patriot air defence systems to counter Russia's aerial superiority.

Giving his nightly address yesterday after a discussion with US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Zelensky said: 'We are still waiting for the supplies Ukraine was promised.

'We are expecting those volumes and scope that can change the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine's interests.'

Zelensky added: 'In my conversation with Mr. Jeffries, I underscored that Patriot systems are needed, and as soon as possible.'

But the delivery of aid to where it is most needed at the frontlines will be complicated by Russian airstrikes.

A Ukrainian intelligence source told Reuters last week that Russia was conducting strikes on Ukrainian rail lines and logistics hubs following the announcement of US aid to Kyiv in an attempt to slow down the delivery of weapons.

Meanwhile, Vadym Ivchenko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament's National Security, Defence and Intelligence Committee, said logistical challenges and bureaucracy could delay shipments to Ukraine by two to three months, and it would be even longer before they reach the front line.

While Ukraine's worn-out troops wait patiently for more ammunition and weapons, Russian forces continue to make slow but steady progress.

In its latest operational assessment, the Institute for the Study of War said Moscow's soldiers are forging a path several miles west of Avdiivka and are also threatening nearby Chasiv Yar, whose capture would give Russia control of a hilltop from which it can attack other key cities forming the backbone of Ukraine's eastern defences.

The Russian Defence Ministry on Sunday confirmed its fighters had taken the town of Ocheretyne about nine miles northwest of Avdiivka, days after clips surfaced of Russian troops celebrating in front of damaged buildings.

Videos shared on the Telegram messaging app by Russian military bloggers also appeared to show the Russian tricolour flying atop a structure in the town that once was home to 30,000 Ukrainians.

Now Russian artillery is pounding positions even further west of Ocheretyne, with residents in the village ofVozdvyzhenka five miles northwest fleeing their homes in anticipation of the enemy advance.

'We're going a long way from here... I don't have time to talk because of the shelling,' one villager told an AFP reporter, before climbing into a loaded vehicle and speeding away.

Moscow's men also seized the village of Novobakhmutivka around six miles north of Avdiivka.

Russia has 'a significant advantage in forces and means' and had been able to notch up advances amid 'heavy fighting', Ukrainian commander Syrsky said.

'In some sectors the enemy had tactical success, and in some areas our troops managed to improve the tactical position,' he added.

While its troops press on with ground operations, Russia continues to devastate Ukrainian targets from the air.

Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Ukraine's southern Mykolaiv province, said that the drones 'seriously damaged' a hotel in its namesake capital and also impacted heat-generating infrastructure in the city.

Russian state agency RIA reported that the strike on Mykolaiv targeted a shipyard where naval drones are assembled, as well as a hotel housing 'English-speaking mercenaries' who have fought for Kyiv.

The RIA report cited Sergei Lebedev, described as a coordinator of local pro-Moscow guerrillas. His comments couldn't be independently verified.

Russia's Defence Ministry also claimed yesterday afternoon that its forces had destroyed ammunition depots and military equipment housed at three airports across Ukraine, including assault drones stored at Kamyanka Airfield in the country's east.

Russian shelling on Saturday and overnight wounded at least seven civilians across Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials.

A 36-year-old woman was pulled alive from the rubble after Russian shells on Sunday morning destroyed her home in the northeastern Kharkiv region, the local administration reported.

Her 52-year-old neighbour was also hospitalised with a stomach wound.