As U.S. Wavers on Ukraine Aid, Europe Steps Up.

European governments are increasing their assistance to Ukraine as concerns grow over the US's failure to approve new aid. Europe and the US believe that Ukraine will struggle to gain significant territory in the near term and are focusing on enabling Kyiv's forces to hold the line against Russia. Germany plans to double military aid next year, EU officials are working on new economic and military assistance, and other governments in the region are pledging continued military support. Russia is preparing for a long conflict and is expanding its military production. European officials are committed to supporting Ukraine even if US funding dwindles, and they want to ensure Ukraine is not weakened before the US elections next November. Ukraine's military leadership acknowledges the challenges and says a big technological leap, backed by Western arms, is needed to break the stalemate. Western officials say that no weapons system delivered to Ukraine so far has made a strategic difference on the battlefield, and fresh troops and ammunition are critical. The US has about $5 billion in funding to continue providing Ukraine with weaponry, but another pot of money to replenish the US military's own stocks is running low. Military aid packages have been shrinking, and a new funding proposal might have to wait until the new year. European officials have said that US support for Ukraine is essential, and while they are trying to narrow the funding gap, they cannot fully replace US funding and military hardware. Germany plans to double its military aid for Ukraine next year, and the EU is planning $54 billion in economic aid to Ukraine [Extracted from the article]