Biden administration, beset by doubts, delayed Ukraine weapons shipments until president’s term was nearly done

Record ID: 1955111

  • Title: Biden administration, beset by doubts, delayed Ukraine weapons shipments until president’s term was nearly done
  • Date: 3rd February 2025
  • Summary: KYIV, UKRAINE (RECENT - JANUARY 15, 2025) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CHAIR OF THE PARLIAMENTARY SPECIAL COMMISSION ON ARMS CONTROL OLEKSANDRA USTINOVA, ADVISOR TO THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE OF UKRAINE RUSTEM UMEROV, TALKING TO UMEROV KYIV, UKRAINE (RECENT - JANUARY 14, 2025) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIR OF THE PARLIAMENTARY SPECIAL COMMISSION ON ARMS CONTROL, OLEKSANDRA US
  • Embargoed: 17th February 2025 10:53
  • Keywords: Trump USA Umerov Zelenskiy military aid war in Ukraine
  • Location: KYIV, DNIPROPETROVSK REGION AND UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, UKRAINE
  • City: KYIV, DNIPROPETROVSK REGION AND UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, UKRAINE
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe,Military Conflicts
  • Reuters ID: LVA003751230012025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: Reuters conducted field reporting with Ukrainian forces in the Dnipropetrovsk region in the company of a military press officer. In line with Ukraine's media regulations regarding the war, we are withholding some details from an interview with a soldier about equipment at the press officer's request. We are also withholding the location of the repair shop in shots 32-34 at the request of the press officer.
    It has been months since Ukrainian battalions on the frontline received a new armored personnel carrier to take men forward, deliver munitions, and evacuate the wounded.
    They are the end point in a complex chain that moves American military equipment to the battlefields of eastern Ukraine.
    A 32-year-old driver and mechanic with the 33rd Separate Mechanised Brigade emphasized the critical importance of having enough armoured vehicles on the frontline.
    "There are a lot of cases where because we don't have enough vehicles, we are unable to go get the injured. We did not make it in time, they died, " said the soldier who goes by the callsign Tyson and who did give his real name.
    The armoured vehicles supplied by the U.S. and its allies are especially highly valued, as even older models offer more protection than the Soviet-era equipment typically available to Ukrainian forces.
    In the final year of President Joe Biden’s term critical decisions on shipments and weapons for Ukraine faced significant delays. These setbacks were not only due to prolonged congressional debates but also stemmed from internal discussions about the risks of escalating tensions with Russia and concerns over the adequacy of the U.S. stockpile, according to a Reuters investigation.
    “Every time we're asking for something, it comes six, nine months later, when the war has already changed. And it doesn't make that impact it could have done if it came in time," said Oleksandra Ustinova, Chair of the Parliamentary Special Commission on Arms Control.
    Further complicating the situation was a disorganized weapons-tracking system, where even the definition of "delivered" varied among different U.S. military branches.
    Delays were worst during the months it took Congress to pass $60 billion in supplemental aid for Ukraine, held up by opposition from Donald Trump and congressional Republicans amid Trump’s successful run for president. But the backlog persisted even after the funds were approved according to a Reuters analysis.
    Uncertainty over Ukraine’s war effort has accelerated with Trump’s return to power in Washington. Biden speeded up arms deliveries and announcements about new military aid for Ukraine ahead of Trump’s inauguration.
    The new administration can halt shipments anytime, even those already committed.
    (Anna Voitenko, Valentyn Ogirenko, Felix Hoske, Anna Dabrowska)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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