I've written
here previously what I think the reasons for the Kursk invasion are. Optics are incredibly important for ensuring support continues or increases. Polls show that American voters want Ukraine to win and view Russia very negatively. You can see the impact Kursk had below:
View attachment 70250
The US's aid to Ukraine is primarily divided into two components:
PDA - Presidential Drawdown Authority. Weaponry from existing American stocks, delivered very quickly
USAI - Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Orders for production from US defense industry, can take years to manufacture and arrive
After the resumption of US aid to Ukraine in April, only a significant portion of USAI was spent:
PDA: $2.9 billion
USAI: $9.7 billion
Remaining unspent:
PDA: $8.9 billion
USAI: $4.1 billion
We can also think of these numbers a bit differently, by amount of PDA delivered each year since the start of the war:
2022: $12.8 b
2023: $13 b
2024: $2.9 b
Essentially in 2024 Ukraine has received very little military aid from the US, with the vast majority of what was paid for being orders with US manufacturers that will take 2+ years to arrive. A substantial increase in military aid is worth more than Pokrovsk.
Of lesser importance but somewhat indicative of mood is the issue of lifting restrictions on the use of ATACMS and Storm Shadows. The Biden administration is risk-averse and DC in general moves very slowly, but pressure by members of Congress on the Biden administration to lift restrictions has increased substantially. Finally, the Kursk invasion (and voters' perception) will certainly impact either Harris or Trump (in different ways).