(DailyDig.com) – Many experts believe that the aid bill for Ukraine of nearly $61 billion will not be sufficient to win their war with Russia.
An official of the National Security Council, Michael Bars, stated that the amount of aid to Ukraine will not be sufficient to both maintain their defenses and enable them to retake their land that Russia has captured.
Benjamin Friedman, a Defense Priorities director, said that a sustained offensive against Russia in order to reclaim their land will not be possible with this or any other bill of a larger amount. With what the Ukrainians have received from the US so far, nearly $73 billion, they have been unable to advance in pushing back Russia. They may be able to keep Russia from advancing, but they will not go any further.
Ukraine also has an issue with manpower when fighting its war. According to US officials, nearly 70 thousand troops have been lost since the end of last year. Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy has changed the standards for conscription into their forces by lowering the age to 17. However, the motivation to join is low, as many young men are trying to avoid going to war.
A fellow at a research institute, Rob Lee, saw the problem with manpower when he toured Ukraine last year. He said the issues created by the low number of troops, along with very little ammunition, are problematic. Even with more weaponry, the loss of additional troops will cause problems when they are unable to replace them.
Another issue with funding Ukraine’s war is that Russia has a more robust military and industry to maintain it. General Christopher Cavoli, the US European Command director, claimed that even with the West’s sanctions on them, Russia is fully operational in their weapons manufacturing and is returning to their original troop numbers prior to the war.
Bars asserted that Russia appears poised for a protracted conflict as they seek additional territory from Ukraine.
Copyright 2024, DailyDig.com
