A Requiem for Biden’s Ukraine Policy

Reuters published an extended obituary for Biden’s Ukraine policy which encapsulates the frustration of the past year and the desire for a new direction in US policy towards Ukraine.

The sub-head summarizes the article well: “While Biden sped up deliveries after the U.S. election, his final year in office was largely marked by delays caused by congressional inaction and months-long internal debates.”

Further in the article: In the final year of President Joe Biden’s term, decisions on key shipments and weapons in Ukraine were stalled not just by months of congressional delays, but also by internal debates over escalation risks with Russia, as well as concerns over whether the U.S. stockpile was sufficient, a Reuters investigation found. Adding to the confusion was a chaotic weapons-tracking system in which even the definition of “delivered” differed among U.S. military branches.

“By November, just about half of the total dollar amount the U.S. had promised in 2024 from American stockpiles had been delivered, and only about 30% of promised armored vehicles had arrived by early December, according to two congressional aides, a U.S. official, and a lawmaker briefed on the data.”

“In the final 12 months of Biden’s term, Ukraine lost nearly all the land it regained in its largely inconclusive 2023 counteroffensive. As 2024 drew to a close, Russian forces were capturing a daily average of around 20 square kilometers, claiming nearly the equivalent of the area of Manhattan every three days, according to data compiled by the Institute for the Study of War.”

“Most U.S. shipments over the summer were limited: They included short-range air defense interceptors, replacement vehicles, and artillery so Ukraine could defend itself, but not launch significant offensives, the Reuters analysis found.”

Let’s hope the new Administration will develop a better policy to help Ukraine win the war.