When Russian war criminal Putin's army invaded Ukraine in February, 2022, the U.S. and its NATO allies united to support Ukraine with some of the basic defensive weapons to resist: anti-tank weapons, artillery, drones and ammunition. Ukraine not only managed to hold off Russia's advances, but took a heavy toll on Russian forces who appeared inept, poorly led and equipped. After one and a half years of fighting, and with Ukraine making slow headway in pushing Russian forces out of their country, the U.S. is still in the mode of denying offensive weapons that would aid Ukraine in doing so. President Biden's new request for a $24 billion aid package for Ukraine will not contain any surprises, and is heavy with non-military aid. From the Washington Post's story on the delays:
"A first group of six Ukrainian pilots is not expected to complete training on the U.S.-made F-16 before next summer, senior Ukrainian government and military officials said, following a series of delays by Western partners in implementing an instruction program for the sophisticated fighter jet.
The timeline reflects the disconnect between Ukraine’s supporters, who envision F-16s as a key tool in the country’s long-term defense, and Kyiv, which has desperately requested that the jets reach the battle space as soon as possible, viewing them as critical for the current fight against occupying Russian forces.
President Biden, after denying Ukrainian appeals for the F-16 for more than a year, reversed course in May and said he backed the idea of training Ukrainian pilots on the jets, and supported the transfer of the planes by other countries. Denmark and the Netherlands volunteered to lead a training effort, prompting hopes among officials in Kyiv that the planes would be defending Ukrainian airspace by as early as September.
It was a familiar pattern for Ukraine and its chief military backer, the United States, which has repeatedly declined Ukrainian requests only to relent at a later date." (our emphasis)
As a result, Russian aircraft control the skies over occupied parts of Ukraine, despite the presence of NATO-supplied anti-air defense systems. A similar story has been unfolding with M1A1 Abrams battle tanks, which are superior to anything Russia has in the field. The extreme caution, even timidity, by the U.S. is reflective of President Biden's fear of Putin escalating the war, a mindset that Putin has used effectively to curb the supply of offensive weapons to Ukraine while Russia consolidated their gains on the battlefield. Fearing that Putin would launch a nuclear attack at the first sign of an F-16 (which are already being replaced in the U.S.'s arsenal) is the thought that Putin planted in Biden's mind from the beginning. It's worked, and with the slow-walking of F-16s, ATACMS long-range artillery, and battle tanks, it's costing valuable time and lives while Russia entrenches and waits.
