the US says it will provide Ukraine with
more Patriot missiles as part of a fresh
$6 billion Aid package but they won't be
supplying any additional Patriot systems
to launch them despite keev insisting
that they need more to defend Ukraine
cities from Russian aerial attacks the
US defense secretary Lloyd Austin made
the announcement which also included a
pledge to rush more artill artillery
Munitions to the country on Friday I
would point out that it's not just
Patriot
that uh that you know they need they
need other types of systems and
interceptors as well and
so I would caution us all in terms of
making Patriot the Silver Bullet uh I
would say that it's going to it's going
to be the integrated ER in missile
defense as we said so many times before
that really uh turns a tide and so there
are other capabilities that they need
that that we really pushed hard to get
and we may be able to get to uh to the
ukrainians uh a bit faster but this work
continues on for more analysis let's
bring in Frank lewi now he's a senior
lecturer in military strategy at
Portsmouth University and a former UK
Military Intelligence officer good to
see you again Frank now the US is
sending A6 billion US do Aid package to
Ukraine as we just heard it includes
ammunition and air defense systems tell
us what difference do you think this
will make on the battlefield
morning Jared well in the words of
General Austin there it won't turn the
tide what it will do is blunt Russian
advances in two ways the first way
obviously is by reinforcing Ukraine's
vital artillery arm with Western
supplied 155 shells that's that's
important they've been outgunned
severely on the front for a long time
now concerning air defenses though
that's almost equally important and it
is disappointing that the Americans have
not forwarded more Patriot batteries
they have 80 batteries in their
inventory 400 launchers I suspect the
problem is that they are wanting uh to
keep those uh against any conflict with
China it's bad news for ukrainians that
but to the extent that they're getting
more interceptors the missiles
themselves and I think as we go forward
more in the form of other systems that
General Austin mentioned that will allow
the ukrainians to push back the Russian
air advances that have been made the
Ukrainian lines have been suffering very
badly under what's called under Glide
bombs thousands of them some people say
which have been I think fair to say
decisive over the last few weeks however
what none of this will do and this is
really important is generate more
manpower Ukraine has been taking far
more casualties than they've been
telling us they are under the under
serious pressure on the attritional
front and let's not forget this is a war
of attrition and in that in the manow
front the Russians have the advantage
and there's nothing the West can do
about generating more of that that's a
very big topic but it's absolutely
Central Frank speaking of this pressure
that you just talked about keev says
Russia has attacked energy facilities in
three regions on Saturday part of a
renewed bombardment of the Ukraine of
Ukraine's energy sector what's the
Strategic purpose of these attacks do
you
think well theyve been conducting uh as
you say strategic attacks which is to
say attacks essentially against across
across the Ukraine economy and indeed
into the civilian sector since late
2022 with the objective first of
undermining the morale of the Ukrainian
population and secondly disabling the
Ukrainian economy um I think even
equally dis and that's had some effect
especially over the last few weeks it's
worth saying however that Ukraine is
really resilient with respect to its
electrical supplies and let's not forget
that much of its uh much of its Supply
is Supply by nuclear power which the
Russians are highly unlikely to touch
nonetheless is doing damage of almost
equal importance however is the approach
Russians are taking now uh in attacking
Ukraine's Railway Network and that's
something I think that many of us have
been wondering what when that was going
to happen it seems to be happening with
far more intensity now and that's really
important and accentuates again of
course the vital importance of high-end
highly effective air defense systems
Frank given everything you've just said
what do you think uh what we can expect
the war to how it will progress in the
coming
weeks I think Russia will continue to
make advances over the next few weeks
it's worth saying that none of or very
few of these supplies although the
Americans are working and other allies
are working very very effectively and
efficiently to try and forward these
supplies the bul of them won't arri
arrive for the over the next few weeks
and Russia will undoubtedly take
advantage of that Hiatus I think the
ukrainians are expecting an offensive at
some point in the next few weeks as well
to continue the to continue and
reinforce the advance advances they've
made so we can expect that I think
Beyond there we're looking at political
decisions but for the next few weeks we
can expect continued Russian pressure
perhaps a rather larger offensive
campaign by them I expect the ukrainians
to largely to hold but they will have to
give territory I think okay military
analyst Frank Leed there Frank always
good to talk to you thanks a
lot thanks Jared