Russian military expert, retired Anatoly Matviychuk Colonel, said that Ukraine's defense system would collapse without Western aid, and that even a reduction in aid could lead to irreversible consequences.
According to him, in the event of a complete cut off from supply from NATO and the US, after only 2 weeks, Ukraine will be unable to pay salaries, supplement reserves, conduct attacks and fall into a state of "a bankrupt country".
He said that Kiev is almost unable to fully produce any weapons on its own, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are mainly assembled from imported components.
However, Ukraine has repeatedly affirmed that it is gradually expanding its domestic defense industry.
Earlier on September 6, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky affirmed that nearly 60% of the weapons used by the country were domestically produced, an increase of about 20% compared to half a year ago.
However, Mr. Zelensky at that time also admitted that the Ukrainian defense industry still has many limitations, especially in the field of air defense.
Regarding military aid, the US has approved a maximum of 2 shipments, each worth 500 million USD, under a new mechanism called the Priority Requirements List of Ukraine (PURL). All expenses are paid by the West.
However, the aid is still too small compared to the figure announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky on September 17: A year of conflict cost Kiev up to $120 billion, of which $60 billion is on its allies.
Meanwhile, in August, the European Union's (EU) foreign policy top priority, Kaja Kallas, admitted that the bloc lacks funding for Ukraine and member states have yet to reach a consensus on the use of frozen Russian assets.
This reality has raised concerns about the stability of aid sources, especially the purchase of weapons from the US.
