The aid from the US has enabled the Ukrainian Armed Forces to slow down the advance of Russian troops in the Kharkiv region and to maintain a strong defense line, states Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
"The Russians really slow down in terms of the progress that they were making near Kharkiv," he said.
According to him, firstly, Ukrainians can continue to hold the front line, and secondly, American aid has started to reach them.
Ryder also added that this week in Brussels, another meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the Ramstein format will take place. The participants of the meeting will discuss these issues in detail.
Situation in the Kharkiv region
Since the fall of 2023, the US has stopped providing military aid to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as the House of Representatives of the US Congress has long been unable to approve a new large package of financial aid to Ukraine totaling almost 61 billion.
The reason was Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's unwillingness to bring the document to a vote. He and some Republicans wanted assistance to Ukraine to be considered with money for border protection from migrants.
On April 20 of this year, the House of Representatives approved a financial aid package for the purchase of weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Subsequently, the document was approved by the Senate and signed by President Joe Biden.
In early May, the Russian army began an offensive operation in the Kharkiv region. The Russian forces crossed the state border and captured several settlements, including part of the city of Vovchansk.
Thanks to the supply of Western weapons, the Defense Forces were able to halt the aggressor's advance towards Kharkiv.
At the request of Kyiv, the US allowed Ukrainian forces to strike at Russian territory with their weapons, except for ATACMS ballistic missiles. The attacks can take place along a narrow front in the Kharkiv region.
Thanks to aid from the US, the Defense Forces may launch a counteroffensive as early as this summer.