Ukraine may lose war by summer 2024 without US and NATO assistance – CNN

Western officials have become concerned over the prospect of a lack of action by the US Congress to fund military aid to Ukraine, fearing that Kyiv might only be able to fight on its own for a few months without it and support from other Western countries.

Source: CNN, citing "multiple US and European officials", as reported by European Pravda

Details: CNN says Western intelligence services are now considering how long Ukraine can endure without US and NATO assistance. One senior US military official claimed it could be "months," with the worst-case scenario being "a significant setback or even defeat" by the summer of 2024.

"There is no guarantee of success with us, but they [Ukrainians] are certain to fail without us," a senior US military official told CNN.

A major concern in the West is the impact of the absence of aid on Ukraine's counteroffensive in the east and south, where Ukrainian forces are struggling to achieve significant progress even as military support is still flowing in from the US.

"If looking at taking and holding further territory, it is hard to see how that could succeed without continued US support," a European diplomat believes.

Western officials assess that unless additional US aid is provided, Ukraine will first run out of long-range missiles, then air defence missiles, and then artillery ammunition and short-range missiles such as Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.

Congress's failure to act on military aid is starting to impact the battlefield in Ukraine. CNN's sources say Ukrainian forces are already rationing ammunition, and Russia has a "five to seven times" advantage in this respect.

"A senior Ukrainian military official told CNN that Ukrainian commanders believe the impact on their firepower has led to additional Ukrainian casualties," the article claimed.

Background: The White House's request for additional funding, which would provide a total of about US$61 billion in military and macro-financial assistance to Ukraine, has been stuck in the US Congress for over two months. However, this week, the lower house of Congress went on recess, making it impossible to approve the aid until the new year.

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