Within 24 hours of Russia's invasion, Lithuania, Poland, France, Estonia, and the United States all announced military aid for Ukraine. It was the start of a flood of military supplies sent to Ukraine in just the first week of the war.
Biden approved $350 million in military aid. That became the largest-ever single transfer of arms from US warehouses to another country.
Other shipments broke countries' longstanding traditions of not sending weapons to active war zones. Germany had previously refused to send Ukraine lethal aid, instead offering 5,000 helmets in a move that drew sharp criticism. But just two days after Russia's invasion, Berlin reversed course to send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 surface-to-air missiles.
For the first time in its history, the European Union financed and purchased weapons for a country outside its borders.
By the end of the first week, the US and NATO had sent more than 17,000 anti-tank weapons. Some of what the EU and US sent are newer weapons, like Javelin and Stinger missiles. But much of the military equipment shipped by European countries are older weapons from the Soviet era.
But it remains to be seen if military aid alone can turn the tide. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked NATO for a no-fly zone, something NATO rejected. To enforce a no-fly zone, NATO would have to fire on Russian planes that violate the zone. NATO would also need to destroy Russian surface-to-air missile defenses on the ground. All of that could risk a broader war with Russia.
There's much talk of Ukraine's resilience, but the question remains if it can stand up to Russia alone, even with all this extra firepower.
