Irish Examiner view: Decisive moment in Ukraine war

It hardly needs saying that if Ukraine is to successfully continue its defence of its territory, the weapons coming from the US have to be deployed without delay

A building of the Odessa Law Academy is on fire after a Russian missile attack in Odessa, Ukraine, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Victor Sajenko)

With Russia’s military having seized the offensive initiative in the war in Ukraine, gaining more territory on the defenders’ eastern front in recent weeks, the arrival of US materiel promised in the $61bn package agreed last week by Congress cannot come quickly enough.

The Russian armies have made notable gains in at least three locations in recent weeks, including for the first time in months an advance in the northern Kharkiv region.