The political battle in Washington over funding for Ukraine is over, but the long and chaos-riddled path to secure the $61 billion package for Kyiv's military efforts against Russia has undoubtedly altered the landscape of the war.

The delay decreased “trust in the U.S. as a reliable partner,” says Tetiana Hranchak, visiting assistant teaching professor in the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. “Ukrainians noticed a change in rhetoric and realized that promises might be broken.” 

“Taking advantage of the delay in aid and the fact that the Ukrainians could not respond adequately, the Russians intensified their shelling of our power plants, and today Ukraine is forced to resort to blackouts to preserve electricity,” Hranchak adds.

Read more in The National article, “What did Ukraine lose during long battle for US Congress to approve military aid?”