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A delay in U.S. funding for Ukraine has not resulted in any battlefield gains for Russia, according to the Pentagon.
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The Ukrainians “did a good job of holding the line,” a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday.
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Experts initially believed that Russia would make the most of the time lag to gain ground.
Russia has failed to gain an advantage in the war against Ukraine despite delays in U.S. funding, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday.
“Russia continues to try to take ground, but the Ukrainians have done a good job of holding the line,” said Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder. he said at a press conference.
According to Ryder, it took the US seven months “to obtain additional security assistance and supplemental funding for Ukraine.” But the time lag has not improved Russia’s fortunes in Ukraine.
“The Russians made an effort to try to push and take Ukrainian territory and they really didn’t accomplish much in terms of the amount of geography they were able to occupy,” Ryder added.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a BI request for comment sent outside normal business hours.
Ryder’s comments on Tuesday were surprising considering experts initially believed that delays in US funding would result in a huge increase in Russian attacks.
In April, the House of Representatives finally approved more than $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. Firm opposition from the Republican Party delayed approval of the project for months.
“The situation on the frontline will therefore likely continue to deteriorate over this period, especially if Russian forces increase their attacks to take advantage of the limited window before new US aid arrives,” said the Institute for the Study of War. he said in April.
In May, the US national security advisor Jake Sullivan said Ukraine would still be able to “hold the line” and resist Russian attacks until 2024, according to the Financial Times.
Sullivan also said he expected a Ukrainian counteroffensive to occur only in 2025.
“You can’t flip the switch instantly,” he said.
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