US aid to Ukraine will run out in July

Patriot missile leaves the launch pad during a US Army test. Photo:US Army

Along with that, the US super weapon - the Patriot air defense missile system, failed when confronting Russian missiles.

According to Politico, in the $48 billion aid package for Ukraine that the US Congress passed in December 2022, the remaining amount is no more than $6 billion, and it will "soon turn into charred metal pieces, along with the ruins of Ukraine". In addition, in the context of the US's great debt ceiling crisis, the topic of Ukraine and its aid requests will be completely "out of place".

In the Western media, the message is simple: the success of Ukraine's counteroffensive depends heavily on continued aid. In particular, The Conversation commented: "Frankly, it is extremely important for Ukraine that the counteroffensive succeeds. If it fails, the international coalition will turn its back. It seems that Zelensky's orders are so clear that Ukraine is under pressure and cannot comply."

In fact, Ukraine knows the “price” of defeat, and is well aware of the state and real capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Therefore, the Kiev authorities have been trying to downplay the importance of a counterattack in recent days, so that Western allies can lower their expectations. The head of the Ukrainian delegation to NATO, Natlia Galibarenko, said that a counterattack cannot decide the outcome of the conflict, and called on Western countries not to put pressure on Kiev.

Mark Katz, Professor of Political Science at George Mason University in the US, said: Ukraine deliberately underestimated the value of the counterattack, aiming to not arouse unreasonable expectations from Western countries. From there, ensuring a positive response to any "achievement", no matter how small, of Kiev.

Earlier, on May 16, Russia announced that it had attacked the Patriot missile with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile. This was an interesting detail for military observers, but a shock for Ukraine's supporters. Kiev has long urged countries to provide Patriot missiles. They believe that this high-tech system can enhance the ability to counter Russia in the air. On May 17, a US official admitted that the Patriot missile complex was damaged.

Observers say that the Russian Armed Forces' defeat of the best American and European weapons has literally blown away trillions of dollars from the US budget for Ukraine.