What’s in Washington’s Newest Ukraine Arms Package?

Update on the conflict in Ukraine for April 28, 2024…

– US announces that it has secretly transferred long-range ATACMS to Ukraine recently, ahead of the more recent arms package;

– Fewer ATACMS are available to Ukraine than Russia’s Iskander equivalent which also has a longer range than ATACMS;

– The ATACMS along with the weapons and ammunition sent to Ukraine as part of the recent arms package are not war-winning capabilities, lacking the full combined arms capabilities Russia possesses as well as qualitative and quantitative disadvantages;

– Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Russia forces continue advancing particularly in the Donbass region as exhausted Ukrainian forces continue withdrawing along the front;

– While the collective West struggles to arm Ukraine, Ukraine itself is suffering from an increasing manpower crisis. Even if it was able to recruit a large enough quantity of manpower, it does not have the time or resources to properly train and arms them;

– It must be remembered that while Ukrainian military capabilities diminish, Russian capabilities continue to expand;

References:

CNN – US secretly sent long-range missiles to Ukraine after months of resistance (April 24, 2024):
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/24/po…

Washington Post – U.S. will send Ukraine long-range missiles, after delay (September 2023):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation…

Al Jazeera – Russia doubles down on fast, cheap, unguided bombs to attack Ukraine (January 2024):
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1…

CNN – Russia’s jamming of US-provided rocket systems complicates Ukraine’s war effort (May 2023):
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/05/po…

Forbes – Lucky For Ukraine, Its Best Air-Defense Vehicles Are Compatible With American Missiles (April 2023):
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe…

Defense One – Raytheon Calls in Retirees to Help Restart Stinger Missile Production (June 2023):
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2…

Business Insider – Russia’s army is now 15% bigger than when it invaded Ukraine, says US general (April 11, 2024):
https://www.businessinsider.com/russi…