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US Military Aid to Ukraine Slowed by Internal Debates and Congressional Inaction in 2024, Reuters Says

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US Military Aid to Ukraine Slowed by Internal Debates and Congressional Inaction in 2024, Reuters Says
Soldiers of an artillery crew of the Rifle Battalion Special Unit of the Main Department of the National Police in the Zaporizhzhia region fire a 122-mm howitzer D-30, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)

While military aid deliveries to Ukraine accelerated after the US election, President Joe Biden’s final year in office was marked by significant delays due to congressional gridlock and internal debates according to Reuters.

The investigation found that in Biden’s last year, military aid was stalled not just by congressional inaction but also by concerns over escalation with Russia and US stockpile levels. Inconsistent tracking of deliveries further complicated the process. Despite a $60 billion aid package approved in April 2024, shipments remained slow.

Seth Jones, president of the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. said he saw no clear strategic objective in 2024 from the US and its European allies. “If the objective is to start to beat back Russian forces or to get a stalemate, then what was given to Ukraine was not sufficient.” he said.

By November 2024, only half of the promised aid from US stockpiles had arrived, and by early December, just 30% of pledged armored vehicles had been delivered, sources told Reuters. Meanwhile, Ukraine lost much of the land it regained in 2023, with Russian forces advancing about 20 square kilometers per day, some arguing US aid was insufficient to shift the war’s momentum.

Biden’s administration had lifted restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US weapons and accelerated drone industry support. But, a senior US official admitted that aid came too slowly. “My frustration is that Ukraine could have received more weapons earlier and more advanced capabilities earlier in the war so that the assistance was not metered out,” the official said.

A soldier with the callsign Beekeeper, recalling a battle in Avdiivka, said, “What is ten mortar shells for a full day? It’s nothing.” He blamed supply shortages for preventable deaths.

Officials from the Pentagon and Biden administration declined to comment. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and president’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in a February 2 interview that Ukraine had received about $76 billion of the $177 billion in US-approved aid. He clarified that while the total amount is often cited as $177 billion, Ukraine has not received the full sum, with approximately $70 billion provided in weapons rather than cash.

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