“Wars are never entirely won or lost by aid packages,” said Seth Jones, president of the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “This requires strategy, force design, force employment, leadership, morale of forces and other things, not just incoming aid.”
But in 2024, Jones also saw no clear strategic objective from the U.S. and 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.”
Uncertainty over Ukraine’s war effort has
intensified with Trump’s return to power in Washington. His new administration can halt shipments anytime, even those already committed. In his first week in office, Trump
froze foreign aid to Ukraine, among many other countries.
He and his congressional backers have made clear they want to cut support for Ukraine, and at a presidential debate he
refused to say whether he wanted Ukraine to win. Among his campaign promises was a boast he could end the war in a day. That hasn’t happened, but many Ukrainians fear he’ll impose terms favorable to Russia.
Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Gen. Keith Kellogg, would not say directly whether the administration would continue to send weapons to Ukraine.
If Trump stops all help to Zelensky, say hello to an expanded Russia.