US aid to Ukraine and Kiev suffers from troop shortages and timing problem. “The situation is desperate until the fall.”

US President Joe Biden signed aid for Ukraine: $61 billion could arrive within a few days. But according to analysts there is a problem that Western aid cannot solve: the lack of troops in Kiev.

Lack of men at the front

Konrad Mezica, the Polish chancellor, wrote to Reuters that the situation on the front was desperate and that “the most important source of Ukrainian weakness is precisely the lack of men.” According to Ukrainian Commander Oleksandr, who was interviewed by The Washington Post last February, his units are operating at only 35% of their normal capacity.

This makes it impossible for Ukraine to confront the Russian attacks, which are currently escalating, before help arrives.

Timing issue

Aid may arrive soon, but it is unclear whether it will be enough at first to make a difference on the front.

Meanwhile, the situation around the city of Chasiv Yar, which Putin wants to occupy by May 9, is becoming increasingly desperate: the Russians are using glide bombs, which are having a devastating effect on Ukrainian forces. Moreover, Russian drone attacks are preventing reinforcements from arriving.

“The soldiers are running out of food, water and medicine. Drones bombed vehicles transporting materials and troops to the front. The Wall Street Journal explains that soldiers with healable wounds are dying because no one can reach them.

New recruits

The Ukrainian government has lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25, which will soon bring thousands of new recruits to the front. Analysts expect the situation to continue to deteriorate over the next three months. Improvement can only be expected from autumn onwards.