Lviv, Ukraine,February 23, 2024: The mood in Ukraine is about as gloomy as it has been since Russia launched its full-scale invasion two years ago, on Feb. 24, 2022. Ukrainian troops are desperate for ammunition, and many feel they’ve been forgotten about by their global allies.
Saturday’s two-year landmark will come right on the heels of one of the toughest losses Ukraine has suffered during the war. The fall of the city of Avdiivka, while symbolic more than strategic, came after months of relentless bombardment and enormous losses on both sides.
Ukrainian troops were overwhelmed, outgunned, and, one commander said, outnumbered seven to one.
Fleeing resident Maryna Batrak said the Russians simply destroyed everything.
“They will destroy us too,” she said. “Have you seen how the cities were wiped off the face of the earth?”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a Thursday photo-op that saw him join the pilot in the cockpit of a nuclear-capable bomber, mocked what he called Ukraine’s chaotic retreat.
Ukraine blamed the defeat on perilously low ammunition. The shortages come amid serious concern in Kyiv and other European capitals over the future of U.S. support for Ukraine’s war machine.
About $60 billion in additional funding remains held up by political gridlock in the U.S. Congress. Even with European aid continuing to flow, the U.S. aid is considered crucial to Ukraine, as it includes ammunition, artillery rounds and maintenance for American-made equipment that has already been provided.
Adding a new dimension to the urgent calls for the U.S. assistance package to be approved by lawmakers, the top spokesperson for U.S. Army’s command in Europe and Africa warned this week in an interview with CBS News that it expects “to run out of money before summertime” for operations on both continents if the money isn’t released.
But it may be an even more urgent matter for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who pleaded for more U.S. support at a recent security summit in Munich, and appeared to hedge his bets given the prospect of a dramatic shift in American political leadership later this year.
“If Trump, Mr. Trump, if he will come, I’m ready even to go with him to the front line,” Zelenskyy said.
Trump is widely seen as being far less supportive of Ukraine than President Biden.
