Joe Biden himself probably did not expect so much. Tuesday, May 10, the American House of Representatives voted to grant an envelope of more than 40 billion dollars (38 billion euros) to help Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. An amount higher than that hoped for by the American president, who had claimed 33 billion. This decision must still be ratified by the Senate, during a vote at the end of the week, but it should not be called into question, given the consensus between Democrats and Republicans on the subject.
“With this aid program, America sends a signal to the world of our unwavering determination to support the brave people of Ukraine until victory”, rejoiced Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic president of the House of Representatives, in a letter sent before the vote. If this bill is adopted by the Senate, a total of more than 50 billion dollars will be allocated by the United States to help Ukraine, 13.6 billion having already been released since the beginning of the year. .
While the bulk of this new envelope is intended for civilian equipment or humanitarian aid, some 6 billion dollars are planned to reinforce Ukraine with armored vehicles and anti-aircraft defenses. A colossal amount – the equivalent of the annual Ukrainian defense budget – which corresponds to the needs of a high-intensity conflict: according to a French military source, the Ukrainians currently “consume” in a single day the equivalent of ten days of Western arms deliveries.
Shortage of microprocessors
It remains to be seen whether the United States will be able to deliver to Ukraine as many weapons as they promise. US Army stocks are not expandable and are subject, like those of their European counterparts, to supply strains. “If the American stocks of simple armaments, in particular ammunition, are not started and their fairly regular renewal, those of more complex systems, such as drones or guided missiles, are more problematic”assures Joseph Henrotin, researcher at the Center for Analysis and Forecasting of International Risks (Capri).
Since the beginning of the conflict, the United States has thus delivered to Ukraine more than 5,500 Javelin missiles, portable weapons intended to pierce armor and which wreak havoc among Russian tanks, according to a statement published on May 11 by the Pentagon. This represents more than a third of American stocks, revealed in late April the leader of the Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell. Similarly, more than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles were taken from US military coffers to be sent to kyiv, representing a quarter of the country’s reserves.
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