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The West has yet to see significant progress from the costly Ukrainian counteroffensive, which has drained the reserves of Western states. Now heading into the second year of the war, Poland announced on September 20 that it would focus on arming itself rather than providing further military aid to Kiev.
So is the West running out of weapons? Are the big players losing interest? Have Western objectives changed as the war has passed the 18-month mark? All these questions stand and require detailed answers.
The US is by far the largest contributor of support to Ukraine, having pledged around £36.5 billion in military aid alone, and it does not suffer on the arms supply front in the same way as Europe.
According to Mark Canican of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), some items, such as "trucks, medical supplies, small arms" and so on, were "virtually unlimited".
He added that other equipment is subject to often lengthy procurement processes, but fortunately, the US owns many factories that produce weapons and outsources things it cannot produce at home.
Ammunition consumption rates in Ukraine are extremely high, with the US reacting to this by adopting a "produce and replace" policy - giving away things like trucks (of which there are many) and providing alternatives to Ukraine when it cannot practically supply due to dwindling supplies.
A perfect example of replacement policy is the inclusion of cluster bombs in the latest packages. Although controversial (they are banned in about 120 countries), the munitions offered Ukraine a useful battlefield alternative to the incomparable amount of 155mm artillery shells it used.
The problem, then, is not necessarily one of procurement, actual supply, or even suitability – as the US defense department has shown itself capable of managing all of those things.
The problem is political. While support from Congress remains strong, a minority in the House of Representatives is able to “hold the whole system hostage.
A small group of hard-line Republicans opposed to further government spending has staunchly opposed any further funding for more military support for Ukraine.
Additionally, a recent CNN poll found that a majority of Americans believe the supplemental funding should not be approved. The biggest threat to US military aid to Ukraine appears to be support for it from both its own people and politicians./ SkyNews
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