US in Proxy War with Russia Doles out 100 Billion Dollars in Aid & Arms to Ukraine — Global Issues
United Nations, January 2 (IPS) – A US Senator once described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, perhaps humorously, as “Winston Churchill in a T-shirt”.
And last month, while addressing the US Congress – attended by about 100 Senators and 435 Representatives – he tried to relive that moment.
While most Senators and Representatives wear business suits for formal occasions, Zelensky opted for a green military uniform and a matching sweatshirt.
And he was the second head of wartime government to speak to the United States Congress, after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s 1941 speech to Congress during World War II.
21, Zelensky, 44, called for increased economic aid, modern weapons and security assistance.
According to a report in the New York Times last month, if Congress passed the (passed) budget bill, US aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion last February would amount to $100 billion “allocated to four emergency spending packages. ”
“We have artillery, yes, thank you,” Zelensky told the Senators and Congressmen, “We have it. But is it enough? Honestly, not really?
Although the US sent an astonishing array of weapons, including 1,400 Stinger missiles, GPS-guided Joint Direct Attack Ammunition (JDAM) and Patriot missile systems, Ukraine requested more advanced weapons. , including the M1A2 Abrams battle tank and the F-16 Fighter.
But the US is withholding both for security reasons.
According to the State Department, more than 40 US allies have provided economic aid, political support or weapons to Ukraine during its tough war with Russia, one of the world’s largest nuclear powers.
Norman Solomon, Executive Director of the Washington-based Public Accuracy Institute (IPA), told IPS that while the Russian government is fully responsible for its terrible decisions in invading Ukraine and continuing the war, war there, the United States refused to engage in real diplomacy to avert the war or to seek a possible end to it.
He points out that the massive arms shipments that are taking place from the US to Ukraine are of such magnitude that they bring in billions of dollars in profits for US-based arms manufacturers.
And those arms shipments represent an eagerness in Washington to escalate the conflict rather than seek to reduce and end it, said Solomon, author of “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us” to Death” said
“The large amount of arms flowing from the US to Ukraine can be understood as an extension of the US-led NATO approach to Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union – encircling and confronting Russia rather than trying to find a real geopolitical solution for Europe as a whole.”
He argued that the US withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty in 2002 and from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019 were reckless steps leading to conflict between the two superpowers. The nuclear of the world can lead to global destruction. .
Now, the United States is working to maximize the profits of its military-industrial complex while increasing the likelihood that the war in Ukraine will continue to get worse. The oath of victory in Ukraine, he noted, was a passionate expression of madness in Washington and Moscow.
Instead of pursuing diplomatic avenues that would end the terrible suffering in Ukraine, it is the policy of the US government to enrich US military contractors and further escalate it, he stated. war is already a dire reality.”
Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that the United States will continue to work closely with more than 40 allies and partners to support the Ukrainian people as they defend their freedom and independence by extraordinary courage and limitless determination.
“We will continue to support Ukraine for as long as we can, so that it can continue to defend itself and be in the strongest position possible at the negotiating table when the time comes,” he said.
In a “Fact Sheet” released last July, the State Department provided an analysis of U.S. weapons to Ukraine, including:
More than 1,400 Stinger air defense systems; more than 6,500 Javelin anti-armor systems.
More than 20,000 other anti-armor systems.
Over 700 Switchblade tactical drone systems.
126 155mm howitzers and up to 411,000 155mm shells.
72,000 rounds of 105mm artillery shells.
Tactical vehicle 126 to pull 155mm howitzer.
22 Tactical vehicles to recover equipment.
16 Highly mobile artillery rocket systems and ammunition.
Four Command Vehicles.
Two National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS).
20 Mi-17 helicopters.
Anti-battery system.
Hundreds of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Armored Vehicles.
200 M113 armored personnel carrier.
More than 10,000 grenade launchers and small arms.
More than 59,000,000 small arms ammunition.
75,000 sets of armor and helmets.
Approximately 700 Phoenix Ghost Tactical Drone Systems.
Laser-guided missile systems—and more.
The United States also continues to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with additional capabilities to defend itself.
According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the army and paramilitary services of the Russian Federation are equipped with mostly domestically produced weapons systems, although since 2010 Russia has imported limited amounts of military hardware from a number of countries, including the Czech Republic, France, Israel, Italy, Turkey, and Ukraine.
The Russian defense industry is also capable of designing, developing and manufacturing a full range of advanced air, land, missile and naval systems. As of 2021, Russia is the world’s second-largest exporter of military hardware.
The Russian Armed Forces consist of about 850,000 active-duty servicemen (300,000 Infantry; 40,000 Airborne Forces; 150,000 Navy; 160,000 Aerospace Forces; 70,000 Strategic Missile Forces; about 20,000 forces). task force; about 100,000 other uniformed personnel (command and control, cyber), support, logistics, security, etc.); estimated 200-250,000 Federal National Guard.
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