US senate passes Ukraine aid package: Why there is a rush to send weapons to Kyiv

It’s an important point of time in the Russia-Ukraine war. After much delays and deliberations, the United States Senate voted resoundingly — 79-18 — to approve $95 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

Of the four deals part of the vote, perhaps the biggest and most significant is the Ukraine package consisting of $61 billion.

And now President Joe Biden is expected to sign the legislation into law on Wednesday (24 April).

Shortly after the vote, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer hailed the vote as “one of the greatest achievements the Senate has faced in years”. “Today the Senate sends a unified message to the entire world: America will always defend democracy in its hour of need,” said Chuck Schumer in a floor speech.

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“Make no mistake, America will deliver on its promise to act like a leader on the world stage, to hold the line against autocratic thugs like Vladimir Putin,” he continued. “We are showing Putin that betting against America is always, always a grave mistake.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the US Senate for the aid, saying: “I thank Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell for their strong leadership in advancing this bipartisan legislation, as well as all US senators on both sides of the aisle who voted in favour of it,” he posted on social media minutes after the bill passed.

“I equally appreciate President Biden’s support and look forward to the bill being signed soon and the next military aid package matching the resoluteness that I always see in our negotiations,” Zelenskyy added.

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The second part of Zelenskyy’s comment then begs the question: Why is the aid so important to Ukraine? When will it reach Kyiv? And why is it imperative that it reaches the frontlines as soon as possible?

What’s in the aid package to Ukraine?

Now, that the US Senate has signed off on the aid package to Ukraine and it awaits President Biden’s signature, here’s a better look at what it includes.

Of the $61 billion, about $23 billion would be used to replenish US weapons, stockpiles and facilities, and more than $11 billion would fund current US military operations in the region. Nearly $14 billion included in the bill would help Ukraine buy advanced weapons systems and other defence equipment.

The bill also provides more economic assistance to Ukraine in the form of “forgivable loans”. The Guardian reports that the bill contains a provision for the president to forgive the loan starting in 2026.

One of the most significant features of the bill is the supply of ATACM-300 medium-range missiles. These precision weapons will allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian-occupied territory in Crimea, Donbas and coastal regions — hitting Russian airfields, supply depots, staging areas and command-and-control centres within Ukraine. As one senior official told The Washington Post, “the ATACMS will degrade Russian logistics inside Ukraine in the near term”.

When will the aid reach Ukraine?

Shortly after the US Senate passed the bill, which caps months of drama on Capitol Hill that began last year, President Biden applauded the Senate.

A written statement read: “I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week,” Biden said. “The need is urgent: for Ukraine, facing unrelenting bombardment from Russia; for Israel, which just faced unprecedented attacks from Iran; for refugees and those impacted by conflicts and natural disasters around the world, including in Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti; and for our partners seeking security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”

Now, the US will rush forward the aid to Kyiv with reports saying that weapons could be moved within days. That’s because That’s because Washington has a network of storage sites in the US and Europe that already hold the ammunition and air defence components that Kyiv desperately needs.

In fact, Washington Post reports that preparations for the assistance package are well underway ahead of the anticipated legislative approvals.

A Pentagon spokesperson was quoted as telling New York Times that some of the aid could be sent from the Pentagon’s stockpiles in Germany and shipped by rail to the Ukrainian border. “We can move within days.”

Why the US needs to rush aid to Ukraine?

Now that the Senate has passed the package, why is it that Washington is a hurry to ensure that the weapons reach Kyiv within days?

This urgency to send the aid comes from the fact that Ukraine has incurred some heavy losses in the ongoing war with Russia. As recently as Tuesday (23 April), there were reports that Russian forces have made significant advances in a narrow corridor in eastern Ukraine.

Russian military bloggers released footage of the Russian flag being unfurled at the village of Ocheretyne, an area north-west of the town of Avdiivka, after advancing about five km in 10 days. The Ukrainian army retreated from Avdiivka in February and has been trying to establish a new defensive line in settlements along the Durna River but in recent weeks reinforced Russian units have been pushing forward, using air-launched glide bombs to pulverise Ukrainian bunkers, reports The Guardian.

And now with the capture of Ocheretyne, Russia has managed to bypass the northern flank of Ukraine’s recently constructed forward line, including minefields and trenches.

Additionally, Russia is also under way to seize the town of Chasiv Yar. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, around 20,000-25,000 enemy troops are trying to storm the hilltop town and surrounding districts and capture it by 9 May.

The US weapons and aid will serve Ukrainian forces in the ongoing battle, who complain that they are being outgunned and outshelled. In fact, recently, Zelenskyy in his bid to push the US package had stated that the ratio was 10 to one in Russia’s favour.

“To win, we need ammunition… our artillery is starving,” an artillery reconnaissance commander with the 110th mechanised brigade, callsign “Teren,” told CNN after the US House voted on Saturday.

However, now with the influx of US weapons, Ukrainian troops and officials expect a turnaround in the war. As Andriy Zagorodnyuk, a former Ukrainian defence minister told Reuters, an influx of ground-based air defences would help, while US-produced F-16 fighter jets, which Kyiv expects to receive later this year, would force Russian warplanes back entirely.

On the matter of artillery, he added, “We don’t need to have one-to-one. Three to one would still do the job.”

Another important reason for US to rush its weapons and aid to Ukraine is that this could, perhaps, be the last approved for Ukraine until after the presidential elections in November. If Donald Trump returned to power in November, there’s a very big chance that Washington would refrain from aiding Ukraine, based on the Republican’s previous statements on the war.

Will the US aid turn the tide in the war?

Analysts and defence experts are of the opinion that while it may bridge the gap between Russia and Ukraine, the US weaponry won’t necessarily change the outcome of the war. Dmitry Stefanovich, a researcher for a think tank associated with the Russian Academy of Sciences, was quoted as saying that the new American aid will lead to some increase in Ukraine’s defensive potential, and offensive as well. But more importantly, it will serve as a morale booster to the Ukrainian armed forces.

Another senior Ukrainian official was quoted as telling the Financial Times that the influx of arms, particularly much-needed artillery shells and munitions for air defence systems “will help to slow down the Russian advance, but not stop it”.

It’s important to note here that while the US package will address the issue of dwindling arms and ammunition, Ukraine faces another massive issue: manpower.

Presently, Russia is able to mobilise about 30,000 soldiers each month. Ukraine, on the other hand, is struggling to mobilise troops. And to counter this challenge, Zelenskyy signed a law lowering the mobilisation age to 25 from 27, while Ukraine’s parliament passed a new bill on conscription that is aimed at replenishing its exhausted and dwindling forces. The US aid package will buy some time to address the manpower shortage, analysts said.

With inputs from agencies