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Final tranche of US military aid for Ukraine, released. Attack on Russian ship significant?

https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20231227-us-releases-final-tranche-of-authorised-military-aid-for-ukraine

The US government on Wednesday announced what it said was the last remaining package of weapons available for Ukraine under existing authorization, with Congress now needing to decide whether to keep supporting Kyiv’s battle against Russian invasion.

The year’s final package” includes air-defense and artillery munitions, the State Department said in a statement. It added that Congress, where Republicans are split on supporting Ukraine, should “act swiftly” to renew the flow.

The final tranche of aid is worth up to $250 million and includes “air-defense munitions, other air-defense system components, additional ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, anti-armor munitions, and over 15 million rounds of ammunition,” the State Department said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67826487

Ukraine war: Does attack on Russian ship make a difference?

For Kyiv, the sight of Russia’s Novocherkassk landing ship being hit in an air strike was a much-needed boost.

Spectacular? No doubt. But was it significant?

Let’s skip past the spin

Should Ukrainian land forces ever reach Crimean soil, the battle for its liberation would likely be bloody. By carrying out these missile strikes Kyiv is playing the long game by trying to make Russia’s presence there untenable.

And wait for it…

The problem for President Volodymyr Zelensky is, time is not Ukraine’s friend. Some in the West want a faster return for the billions of dollars of aid they have provided so far.

The Ukrainians said they were going to reach Crimean soil many months ago. It didn’t happen and it’s not going to. Ukraine isn’t playing the long game, as the BBC spin suggests, because they simply cannot do so. So hitting the ship, while nice for PR purposes, just isn’t that significant.

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