From: The Hill BY STEVEN PIFER, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR
The House of Representatives returns to session on Tuesday. It faces no question more urgent than assistance for Ukraine, which is running low on the weapons it needs to defend against the invading Russian army. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) recently said the House should act “right away.”
One hopes so. Johnson has expressed support for Ukraine in the past — but done nothing, apparently out of concern for his job. Now, he must act. Ukraine could lose without U.S. help.
Few would have predicted in February 2022 that in April 2024 the Ukrainian military would largely be holding its own against the Russians. In Europe’s bloodiest war since World War II, Russia today occupies little more Ukrainian territory than it did in April 2023 and significantly less than it did in the first half of 2022.
That said, Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive did not succeed. The country faces a challenging year in 2024 and will largely fight on the defensive. The gap in American assistance—the last U.S. funding ran out last December—has made that fight even more difficult. For example, the Ukrainian army must conserve artillery shells. As a result, in some battles, such as the defense of the town of Avdiivka, the Russians fired six or 10 shells for each one the Ukrainians fired.
Voice of Ukraine 