U.S. Cutoff Of Kyiv Puts Fight at Risk

"The U.S. has put a brake on all military aid to Ukraine, throwing into doubt Kyiv's long-term ability to repel Russia. Overall, Ukraine currently builds or finances about 55% of its military hardware. The U.S. supplies about 20%, while Europe supplies 25%, a Western official said.

Some U.S. supplies -- including long-range air-defense systems, surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, navigation systems and long-range rocket artillery -- will be effectively impossible to replace in the short term. Europe simply doesn't make enough -- or, in some cases, any.

The termination of U.S. support also would erode Ukraine's capacity to conduct longer-range strikes. And with dwindling air defenses, Ukraine's ability to protect its own rear positions and cities will suffer, said officials and analysts.

Artillery 155mm ammunition

As of September, the U.S. had sent roughly three million artillery shells to Ukraine since the start of the events. Ukraine now makes 2.5 million artillery and mortar rounds a year, Ukrainian officials say. The European Union was aiming to supply 1.4 million of the all important 155mm caliber shells in 2024 and is aiming for two million this year. The U.K. and Norway are also increasing supplies.

But Ukraine already doesn't have enough shells -- while Russia is receiving a flood of new supply from North Korea -- so the loss of American ammunition would increase Moscow's firepower advantage.

Patriots

A lack of American-made air defenses, some analysts say, would be the biggest challenge for Ukraine because it would leave Kyiv to decide which of its areas of the country to protect and which to leave at risk.

Europe and Ukraine lack a reliable ground-based long-range air-defense system like the Patriot, which can shoot down Russian ballistic and hypersonic missiles.

Patriots have protected cities far from the front from the sort of damage done to places closer to Russia-held territory, where the expensive systems are too vulnerable to deploy.

Himars and ATACMS

The loss of the U.S.-made Himars also would be a blow.

High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems launch Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rockets, or GMLRS, as well the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS.GMLRS, with a range of about 45 miles, have destroyed Russian positions and ammunition dumps, playing havoc with its logistics. Longer-range ATACMS, which can shoot up to 186 miles, have been particularly effective at striking Russian airfields, command centers and supply lines in Ukraine, and since November in Russia. The Biden administration restricted the targets they could strike inside Russia.

Bradley Fighting Vehicles

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. sent more than 300 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, a tracked and turreted vehicle that carries infantry.

Many were decades old and some arrived in such poor condition they needed to be refitted. But the vehicle soon proved popular with Ukrainian troops for its mobility and protection.

The vehicles gave Ukraine a new armed and armored capability, enabling its forces to roll mechanized infantry troops into the fight, giving them a higher level of maneuverability and firepower. Their main advantage though was protection from drones, mines and antitank weapons. Still, many Bradleys have been damaged and destroyed.

For instance, some 65% of Ukraine's fleet of Bradleys were out of operation at one stage in May 2024, according to a Ukrainian government report seen by The Wall Street Journal.

A halt to U.S. aid could impede the ability of the Ukrainians to source spare parts to repair the infantry fighting vehicles that have become a workhorse for Ukraine.

M777 Howitzers

Ukraine fires thousands of shells a day from U.S.-supplied M777 howitzers -- weapons designed to hit targets as far as 20 miles away. The quick-fire and ubiquitous weapons system enables Ukrainian forces to repeatedly pound Russian positions. If the U.S. stops supplying spare parts, the battlefield advantage they have afforded Ukraine would begin to diminish." [1]

The mule is not happy.

1.  World News: U.S. Cutoff Of Kyiv Puts Fight at Risk. Gordon, Michael R; MacDonald, Alistair.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 07 Mar 2025: A8.