I keep reading about promises but no actions, but I'm probably wrong.
You're definitely wrong. Lots of NATO members are donating lots of stuff. Weapons, ammunition, vehicles, humanitarian supplies, technical specialists*... Many countries are donating significant fractions of their GDP, in one form or another. The promises being made are promises being fulfilled.
Also, I still think the US is integral to success for now, as most NATO nations don't dedicate as much spending to defense as the US does.
Maybe so, but I'm not sure it comes down to raw numbers anymore. It's pretty obvious at this point that the rest of NATO can easily outspend Moscow even without the US. But the US has certain advanced technologies that the rest of NATO does not. Battlefield surveillance aircraft, for example. These are being flown outside of Ukrainian airspace, where Moscow dare not touch them, but they can still see what's going on, and that invaluable information can be passed on to Ukraine.
I think, to a degree, I am. Though, that would look more like some dude selling arms to Iran for the Houthis to supply Ukraine. I don't think it's like that.
Yeah, definitely not like that.
These last two parts, I just don't know about, as I'm obviously pretty ignorant of military in general. I'm just wondering about the shoot downs of the planes when Ukraine is saying it has no munitions.
Ukraine is primarily saying it has a shortage of artillery ammunition. This shortage makes it very difficult for them to make progress on the ground, but has nothing to do with the air war.
They also have a limited amount of ammunition for their German-donated anti-air guns.** But these guns are for short-range air defense. The shoot downs are happening at long range.
The Ukrainians also have a limited number of long-range anti-air missiles, which is what they'd be using for these shoot-downs. However, Moscow has a limited number of planes to put in the air, so this sudden surge of shoot-downs probably isn't due to some magic illegal shipment of missiles that "fell off a truck" or something.
I guess what my little fantasy is, is that the defense department is somehow working around Congress. I don't think that's a good thing, as I think the executive branch has been getting too much control of war for decades now, but in the immediate moment, could have better results than waiting for the GOP to do something productive.
My guess is that Ukraine has been hoarding its long-range anti-air missiles, and coordinating with NATO reconnaissance information to wipe out a bunch of Moscow's air power all at one, at a time of their choosing - which appears to be now.
Personally I don't want the President to ever break the law, or flout the limits placed on him by Congress, not even for a good cause. That's what the bully pulpit is for: To convince voters to convince their elected representatives to give him what he needs to accomplish the goal he's set for the country.
I think a more likely scenario is that the US and others are doing more secretly, but not illegally, than we know.
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*Poland, for example, has sent police bomb disposal experts to help with demining and unexploded ordnance efforts. They can't send their military bomb squads, of course, since nobody in NATO is yet prepared to send actual troops. At least not overtly.
**This is because Germany contracted with Switzerland to manufacture the ammunition, and Switzerland insists that its neutrality agreements prohibit Germany from passing the ammo on to Ukraine.
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