Russia 'really did not accomplish that much' despite delays in US aid for Ukraine, says US defense official
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A delay in US funding for Ukraine didn't result in any gains on the battlefield for Russia, per the Pentagon.
The Ukrainians "have done a good job of holding the line," a Pentagon spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Experts initially believed that Russia would take full advantage of the time lag to gain ground.
Russia wasn't able to get a leg-up in its war on Ukraine despite the delays in US funding, a Pentagon spokesperson said on Tuesday.
"Russia continues to attempt to take ground, but the Ukrainians have done a good job of holding the line," Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a press briefing.
According to Ryder, the US took seven months "to get additional security assistance and supplemental funding for Ukraine." But the time lag didn't bolster Russia's fortunes in Ukraine.
"The Russians made an effort to try to push and take Ukrainian territory and really did not accomplish that much in terms of the amount of geography that they were able to take," Ryder added.
Russia's defense ministry didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.
Ryder's remarks on Tuesday were surprising, considering that experts initially believed US funding delays would result in a major ramp-up of Russian attacks.
In April, the House of Representatives finally approved more than $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. Staunch GOP opposition delayed the bill's passage for months.
"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 Institute for the Study of War said in April.
In May, US national security advisor Jake Sullivan said Ukraine would still be able to "hold the line" and withstand Russian attacks through 2024, per the Financial Times.
Sullivan also said he expected a Ukrainian counteroffensive to only occur in 2025.
"You can't instantly flip the switch," he said.
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