Can nearly 2 trillion military aid help Ukraine defeat Russia?US officials dare not confirm that this is the primary target | Russia-Ukraine War | Global

U.S. President Biden signed the foreign aid budget bills for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on the 24th, and said that the delivery of various military supplies would begin within a few hours. However, US media reported that despite spending time and political capital on the US$60 billion (approximately NT$2 trillion) aid to Ukraine, some officials in the Biden administration still have doubts about whether this military aid is enough to enable Ukraine to defeat Russia. .

Politico reported that according to three U.S. officials who were interviewed anonymously, the battlefield situation in Russia and Ukraine has changed a lot in the past few months, partly because Uzbekistan was running short of weapons and ammunition when the U.S. Congress debated authorizing more aid. During this period, the Ukrainian army tried its best to hold on to its eastern territory, but the Russian army did not achieve significant results. However, Russia has maintained its superiority in troops and weapons, and the Ukrainian army will make a lot of efforts to reverse its territorial losses.

U.S. officials also questioned Ukraine’s own tactics and priority goals, especially the failure of the Ukrainian army’s counteroffensive in the summer of 2013, which weakened the Ukrainian army’s equipment and morale.

One of the U.S. officials said, “The immediate goal is to stop the losses of the Ukrainian army, help Ukraine regain its strength, and reverse the situation on the battlefield.. After this, the goal is to help Ukraine begin to regain its territory. Will they get the military reinforcements they need to win? Ultimately, yes. However, there is no guarantee that they will win, military operations are much more complicated than that.”

According to reports, U.S. lawmakers are also concerned about whether the United States providing more weapons can lead Ukraine to defeat Russia, or whether it will only be enough to temporarily fend off an invasion. “That’s the problem,” said a senior Democratic Senate staffer.

Politico pointed out that the answer to this question is of great significance because defeating Russia means that Ukraine will take back most or all of its territory after a decade of war. In contrast, not losing means that Kiev can hold the front and make some progress, but it will not be able to regain the territory captured by Moscow.

The Biden administration has maintained that authorities in Kiev will decide how the war ends, whether by pushing Russian troops back into Russia or negotiating a favorable deal at the negotiating table. However, Ukrainian President Zelensky insists that the war must be fought until Crimea, Donbass and other territories are returned to Ukrainian control.

Whether Zelensky is posturing or not, this stance would plunge the United States into a longer conflict with no guarantee that it will achieve its goals. The aforementioned senior Democratic Senate staffer said, “There is a lot of debate about what the endgame of victory in Ukraine will look like.”