According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the $61-billion defense package recently approved by the US Congress will not alter the battlefield situation in Ukraine’s favor. Earlier this week, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu declared that Moscow’s forces had gained the initiative in the Ukraine conflict.
On Saturday, the US House of Representatives approved the $95 billion package, with the majority of funds allocated to support Ukraine. The Senate approved the legislation on Tuesday, and President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law on Wednesday. According to media reports, the first shipments of aid could reach Kiev within days.
The package, initially presented last fall, faced months of delay due to Republican lawmakers who sought concessions from the Biden administration on US border-control policies.
Peskov stated to Russian media on Wednesday that “the situation on the battlefield is too clear and unambiguous, but we never tire of repeating that all these new batches of weapons, which are likely ready by now, won’t change the dynamics on the front line.”
The Kremlin spokesperson noted that Western media and official narratives have undergone significant “mutations” over the past year. He explained that while the general consensus in the West a year ago was that Russia’s defeat was imminent, this later gave way to warnings that the Ukrainian government could fall, and eventually that increased weapons deliveries could prevent this outcome.
Peskov emphasized that the US government has effectively been funneling billions of dollars into its own military industrial complex.
At a meeting with top Russian commanders on Monday, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced that Moscow’s forces had made gains and liberated several towns in Donbass in recent days. He estimated that Kiev has lost half a million troops since the conflict began.
