Biden administration slowed down arms shipments to Ukraine in 2024 - Reuters
Joe Biden's administration slowed down the delivery of weapons to Ukraine in 2024. Kyiv has received only half of the promised aid.
This is reported by Reuters, Censor.NET reports.
Thus, two congressional aides and an American official said that by November, only about half of the total amount that the United States promised to allocate in 2024 from American stocks had been delivered.
The sources said that as of early December 2024, Ukraine had received only 30% of the promised armored vehicles.
"Decisions on key arms shipments to Ukraine have been hampered not only by months of delays in Congress but also by internal debate over the risks of escalation with Russia and concerns about whether U.S. stockpiles are sufficient. The confusion was compounded by a chaotic arms tracking system in which even the definition of "delivered" varied across the US military," Reuters writes.
The delays affected Congress's decision to authorize additional aid to Ukraine, which dragged on for months. Despite the fact that Biden later said that the amount of aid had increased dramatically, monthly aid from the United States reached an average of $1.1 billion, which is no more than in 2022.
The publication notes that in the last 12 months of Biden's presidency, Ukraine has lost almost all the territory it recaptured in a counteroffensive in 2023. Analysts argue that there is no clear link between delays in aid and Ukraine's loss of territory, but that the EU and the US have not taken clear strategic steps.
After withdrawing his candidacy from the presidential election, Biden asked his entourage about lifting the arms embargo, but his advisors were divided.
"Sullivan outlined the arguments for and against, but did not take a position. Carpenter argued that Russia is unlikely to respond meaningfully to the easing of U.S. arms restrictions and said that the hybrid warfare campaign would continue regardless. Brown and Austin disagreed, arguing that Russia could escalate in other ways, including by targeting U.S. military personnel abroad. Kirby agreed. Biden didn't come to an immediate conclusion, telling his team he needed to think about it. But soon, the US president abandoned the idea again," the article says.
The publication appealed to the Pentagon, but they did not provide an answer to how many of the promised weapons from US stockpiles were delivered to Ukraine in 2024. A Pentagon spokesman said that as of January 10, the United States had delivered 89% of critical munitions and 94% of anti-tank systems.
The plan, which was still in effect when Trump took office on January 20, calls for more armored vehicles to be delivered next summer, another U.S. official said.
