Why does Germany play a central role?
In Wiesbaden is the one under the European Command of the Pentagon „Security Assistance Group-Ukraine“ stationed, which operates with 300 employees. According to reports, the command will initially make the first deliveries from stocks at US military bases in Germany, Poland and other NATO countries. How General-Major Patrick Ryder, spokesman for the US Department of Defense said that they have a “very robust logistics network that allows us to transport goods very quickly”. This means that certain howitzers can be delivered quickly. Of the 60 billion dollars, around 20 billion will go to the “Security Assistance Group”.
What does Ukraine need most?
Artillery shells with NATO caliber 155 millimeters, multiple rocket launchers of the HIMARS type, medium-range missiles of the ATACMS type, US F16 fighter jets and, above all, Patriot defense systems. Ukraine currently has three Patriot batteries. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has promised a fourth from Germany. Ukraine says it needs 26 to secure the entire country.
Where is the pressure on Ukraine greatest?
Definitely when it comes to ammunition. Every nook and cranny is missing here. In addition to the supplies in Europe, the huge US stocks could help here. At the direction of the White House, the U.S. Army’s 70-square-mile McAlester Ammunition Plant in Oklahoma would be able to fill 435 shipping containers with 15 tons of ammunition each in one fell swoop. Overall, production capacities in the USA are hardly sufficient. In addition, it takes a long time to produce.
What is the overall military situation?
Despite losses of around 130 square miles, Ukraine still controls 80 percent of its territory. However, it is said that there are 200,000 Ukrainian soldiers at the front against an estimated 470,000 Russians. As General Christopher Cavoli, the top commander of US troops in Europe, recently said, the Russian army today is – loud BBC with 50,000 dead soldiers already – 15 percent larger than in the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Russians are more capable militarily than they were back then. US military aid is unlikely to turn the war in Kiev’s favor.
How will Russia react?
As expected, the Kremlin dismissed the decision in Washington. America is being drawn deeper into a hybrid war with Moscow, the State Department said, predicting a disaster like Afghanistan for Washington. Ukrainians are being used as cannon fodder. Meanwhile, military analysts expect Russian attacks to intensify in order to cause as much damage as possible before the new goods arrive. Preferred targets are infrastructure areas such as energy systems. There is also talk of a major offensive on Kharkiv.
Has resistance to Ukraine aid among Republicans now broken?
No. The opinion that America should no longer spend so much money on a distant country is still strongly represented in the conservative camp. Over 110 Republican representatives, more than half of the caucus, voted against the aid package.