The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) chief, Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, said a "challenging situation" awaits Ukraine soon.
What does the DIU chief predict about the situation at the front
In our opinion, a rather difficult situation awaits us in the near future. But it is not catastrophic, this must also be understood. Armageddon will not happen, as many are now beginning to say. But there will be problems from mid-May, he said.
According to him, this includes the front.
This is a comprehensive approach because the Russians will use a comprehensive approach. They conduct a complex operation. We will not talk about it with you for a long time, but it will be difficult.
Kyrylo Budanov
DIU chief
Will US aid be able to turn the tide of the war in Ukraine?
The publication notes that much will depend on how quickly American aid reaches the front line. With the aid package blocked in Congress for six months, the U.S. military has struggled with increasingly acute shortages of ammunition and personnel while Kremlin forces have pressed their advantage.
According to Mykola Beleskov, a researcher at the National Institute of Strategic Studies in Kyiv, this aid gives the Ukrainian military a break. It will help them slow down the Kremlin's advance, conduct "effective defence", and minimise losses. However, going further will require more aid, a challenging prospect in the U.S. given Republican resistance in Congress.
The question is whether and how much aid will come in 2025 and beyond — since Putin's strategy is to wait it out, he says.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that with American aid, Ukraine can stabilise and seize the initiative.
At the same time, analysts at the U.S. Institute for the Study of War point out that even if U.S. equipment is delivered quickly, transport logistics will most likely mean that the aid "will not begin to affect the situation on the front lines for several weeks".
Ukrainians have suffered serious damage, and their armed forces are weaker than they would have been in another situation. However, at least now, thanks to significant infusions of American aid, the Ukrainians should be able to stabilize the situation, wrote Phillips O'Brien, a professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
