His findings are alarming. The head of the CIA warned this Thursday, April 18, that Ukraine could lose the war against Russia by the end of 2024, unless the United States provides it with more aid. military.
The warning from US intelligence chief Bill Burns comes two days before a vote, scheduled for Saturday, in the US House of Representatives on a package of $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, mainly military, after months political blockage.
“Hold out”
“With the momentum – both practical and psychological – that military aid would provide, I think the Ukrainians are fully capable of holding on in 2024,” Bill Burns said in a speech at the George W. Bush Center .
“Without additional help, the situation is much more dire,” he said. “The risk is very real that the Ukrainians will lose on the battlefield by the end of 2024, or at least that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will be in a position to dictate the terms of a political settlement,” he said. he added, without detailing what he meant by “losing” the war.
Only “42 mortar shells”
To illustrate the Ukrainian army’s lack of ammunition, he also claimed that two brigades – units of more than 2,000 soldiers – had only “15 artillery shells per day” and a total of “42 mortar shells.
Faced with Western aid that is running out of steam, Ukraine is faced with a growing lack of resources and is urging its partners to deliver more weapons and air defense systems.
In total, nearly 61 billion dollars, the majority of the planned funds, are planned for the war in Ukraine in the text which will be voted on on Saturday. The United States is kyiv’s main military backer, but Congress has not passed a major package for its ally since December 2022, mainly due to partisan squabbling. This aid was distributed during 2023, but the taps are now dry.
The text presented Wednesday provides nearly 14 billion dollars to train, equip and pay the Ukrainian army. Around $10 billion in economic assistance dedicated to the energy and infrastructure sectors will be sent in the form of a loan.