“The frontline situation will therefore likely continue to deteriorate in that time, particularly if Russian forces increase their attacks to take advantage of the limited window before the arrival of new US aid,” the ISW wrote in a report on Saturday.
The passage of the Ukraine aid bill was delayed for months due to staunch opposition from House Republicans. The legislative package was finally passed by the House on Saturday, with 112 Republicans voting against it.
The bill, however, will still need to be approved by the Senate and signed by the president before the aid can reach Ukraine.
“These requirements and the logistics of transporting US materiel to the frontline in Ukraine will likely mean that new US assistance will not begin to affect the situation on the front line for several weeks,” the US think tank wrote.
Ukraine, the ISW said, would “suffer additional setbacks in the coming weeks,” though they should still be able “to blunt the current Russian offensive assuming the resumed US assistance arrives promptly.”
Although the US started out as a huge backer of Ukraine, support for the war effort has faltered, in part due to GOP opposition.
Republicans had repeatedly blocked attempts by the Biden administration to send aid to Ukraine, arguing that the money could be better spent addressing America’s domestic problems.
US assistance would provide Ukraine with a critical lifeline as it grapples with an invigorated Russian army. On April 10, US Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli said in a House Armed Services Committee hearing that the Russian army “is actually now larger — by 15 percent — than it was when it invaded Ukraine.”
“The severity of this moment cannot be overstated: If we do not continue to support Ukraine, Ukraine could lose,” said Cavoli, who is also NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.
Representatives for Russia’s defense ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
