On Friday, the United States announced a new military assistance package for Ukraine that features air defense and artillery munitions and anti-tank weapons to aid the country in its fight against Russia’s invasion. The Pentagon says it includes a battery of Patriot missiles, which were first promised last year but have yet to arrive in Ukraine, along with munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), 155 mm and 105 mm artillery rounds, 120 mm mortar systems and rounds and 40,000 depleted uranium tank ammunition for Abrams tanks. Also included is an unspecified amount of small arms ammunition, demolition munitions, and other items. The equipment, delivered through presidential drawdown authority, is part of $125 million in gear drawn from existing US military stocks.
In a meeting at Germany’s Ramstein air base, Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said he hoped the additional equipment would give Ukraine “a fighting chance” in winter as it battles Russian forces and tries to get supplies to parts of the country that are not accessible by road. He also welcomed a decision by Germany to send 14 of its Leopard tanks, which will join 31 American M1 Abrams tanks already in Ukraine. Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, retiring at the end of this month, addressed a gathering of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. The group comprises the defense and military leaders of more than 50 nations that support Ukraine.
A separate report by Ukrinform news agency cited two senior administration officials as saying that a new package planned for Friday could include laser-guided munitions to shoot down drones. Those weapons are expected to be ordered through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative program, which allows the Biden administration to buy them from industry rather than from Pentagon stockpiles.
US lawmakers are still squabbling over how to fund the additional military support. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said he wants the measure debated as a standalone bill. Still, Senate leaders want to attach it to the short-term funding bill needed to avoid a government shutdown at the end of September.
The Obama administration is also trying to reassure Congress that it has a plan for the long-term military aid that will be necessary to rebuild Ukraine’s military after the Russian invasion. That is a more complicated task, as the administration will have to convince lawmakers that a significant cut in the overall Pentagon budget will not affect their ability to provide Ukraine with weapons and other military support.
In addition to the $425 million in new aid, the White House has pledged another $18.5 billion over the past six months. Some of that money is earmarked for postwar reconstruction, but the bulk goes toward weapons that can be used in the current fighting. The Pentagon’s most recent report on the situation in Ukraine is due out next week.
