The writer is?author of ‘Command: The Politics of Military Operations from Korea to Ukraine’

The intelligence assessments had to be dire to persuade Mike Johnson to risk his position as Speaker of the House and at last push through a bill providing essential support to Ukraine. Chronic shortages in ammunition and air defences had led to limited but potentially significant Russian advances and Ukraine’s cities taking a battering. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was warning that Ukraine could lose the war. 

Once President Joe Biden signed the bill into law, the US military began rushing the desperately needed material to the front lines. The aim is to leave Russia with as little time as possible to make the most of its current superiority before it starts to face more resistance. The congressional votes were a major morale-booster for Kyiv, which now hopes for a virtuous cycle of events to restore its battlefield fortunes.