Ukraine is facing the possibility of running low on air defense weapons as the pace of US military aid slowed during the summer, coinciding with a surge in Moscow’s lethal attacks and a record number of airstrikes, according to a new report.
Kyiv has been challenged in intercepting the hundreds of drones and missiles launched by Moscow daily, with western analysts warning that if Russia continues its current rate of attack, Kyiv’s defensive capabilities might falter.
“It’s a question of time for when munitions run out,” one source familiar with the US deliveries to Ukraine told the Financial Times.
Since June, reports indicate that the supplies sent to Ukraine have been irregular and limited following a Pentagon directive suggesting that supplying defense weapons to Kyiv might deplete America’s own reserves.
Senior US and Ukrainian officials informed the FT that the Pentagon initially paused and then slowed the delivery of Pac-3 interceptors intended for operation with the Patriot air defense systems in Ukraine.
The US also delayed the shipment of Stinger man-portable air defense systems, precision-guided artillery shells, over 100 Hellfire and Aim missiles, and F-16 fighter jets — all considered critical to Ukraine’s defense efforts.
The White House confirmed the halt in July, saying the decision was made to “put America’s interests first.”
This shortage forced Kyiv’s forces to use a substantial amount of their ammunition to counter Russia’s intensifying attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure throughout the summer, Ukrainian officials told the FT.
A White House official slammed reports that it is depriving Ukraine of air defense munitions as false, telling The Post that the Department of War is working to support Ukraine’s needs.
The official added that European allies must not only step up to provide more aid to Ukraine, but they must also increase economic pressures on Russia to end the war.
The Department of War declined to comment.
The issue of Ukraine’s waning defenses comes after Russia fired its largest barrage of the war yet over the weekend, launching 810 drones and decoys and 13 missiles over the border.
Four civilians were killed, including a mother and her 2-month-old baby, said Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
The attack was followed up by another mass bombardment on Monday, with one of the airstrikes killing at least 24 people who were waiting in line to collect their monthly pensions in eastern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
