Earlier this week, American officials, led by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, met with representatives of the more than 50 nations that are supporting Ukraine. The participants created subgroups that would focus on drones and armor. Austin told the assembled officials that “Putin hopes that missiles and drones will demoralize the Ukrainian people, and break the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian military. … If we lose our nerve, if we flinch, if we fail to deter other would-be aggressors, we will only invite even more bloodshed and chaos.”
Yet it is the United States that appears to be losing its nerve and flinching. In late December, the administration announced a $250 million package of arms and equipment under previously approved Presidential Drawdown Authority. While a recalculation of the value of materiel sent to Ukraine afforded an additional $6.1 billion to be made available to Kyiv, the “drawdown” cupboard has now run dry. There has been no additional funding this month.
The key to additional support for Ukraine is the administration’s supplemental request for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Yet its fate remains at best uncertain. The latest concurrent resolution that Congress passed earlier this month sets March 8 as the deadline for passing Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills for both the Defense and State Departments, among others. These are the agencies through which most assistance for Ukraine is funded. Ukraine’s strongest supporters on Capitol Hill would prefer either that........