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, America's 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 approved in December 2022, the remaining amount is no more than $6 billion, and it will "soon turn into burnt metal pieces, along with the ruins of Ukraine". In addition, in the context of the great US national 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 counter-offensive depends heavily on continued aid. In particular, The Conversation commented: "Frankly, it is extremely important for Ukraine that the counter-offensive succeeds. If it fails, the international coalition will turn its back. It seems that the orders to Mr. Zelensky are so clear that Ukraine is under too much pressure and cannot comply."

In fact, Ukraine knows the “price” of defeat, as well as the true state and capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Therefore, the Kiev authorities have been trying in recent days to downplay the importance of a counterattack, so that Western allies will 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 at the Department of Political Science, George Mason University in the US, shared: Ukraine deliberately underestimated the value of the counterattack, aiming to not arouse unreasonable expectations of 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.