The United States is accelerating the provision of weapons to Ukraine and its allies to deter Russia from a new aggression on its territory. The Biden administration recently approved shipments of American-made Stinger shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles and increased the provision of other equipment. Ukraine’s allies have also stepped up their pledges of equipment, with Latvia’s defense minister announcing the transfer of the entire country’s stock of FIM-92 Stinger man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) and Canada promising more than two dozen Bastion armored personnel carriers to Kyiv.
But military aid alone isn’t enough to protect Ukraine. To do so, Kyiv needs to have the capability of quickly destroying cruise and ballistic missiles at both short ranges (using the German Gepard or U.S. Avengers), medium range (via surface-to-air missiles such as the Patriot or French-Italian SARAM), and long-range (with the Russian-made Pantsir SAM). Those capabilities require modern air defense systems that can detect, track, home in on, and destroy targets at high speeds.
Ukraine would need to spend millions of dollars to build such a system. The current budget is only a fraction of that, but the government is looking to make further cuts to raise that amount.
That’s why Zelensky says Ukraine needs a “long-term agreement” with the U.S. that will allow Kyiv to start producing air defense systems. In his daily address to Ukrainians on Friday, the president said the long-term deal could create jobs and a new industrial base, whose economy has been devastated by Russia’s invasion and war.
Despite Ukraine’s financial challenges, the president’s visit to Washington this week gives him a chance to pitch to skeptical lawmakers to approve more funding for military aid and a fuller weapons-production partnership. The Ukrainian leader addressed a joint session of Congress in a surprise appearance last December, and he’s scheduled to do so again this time.
Zelensky will meet with Biden and other senior White House officials and then travel to Capitol Hill to talk with lawmakers. The trip is expected to allow him to personally appeal to those skeptical about granting Ukraine more weapons and military assistance. The trip comes as the House leadership, including Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, has declined to commit to additional aid for Ukraine this year. McCarthy, who is scheduled to meet with Zelensky this week, hopes the discussion can focus on “new opportunities for economic cooperation” between Ukraine and the U.S. and a more detailed plan for helping Ukraine develop its defensive capability. A senior official in the Obama administration tells Reuters that the president is open to discussing the matter with lawmakers. He added that the administration is still considering providing Ukraine with additional weaponry through a drawdown of DoD inventory. The equipment list includes 155mm ammunition, TOW and Javelin anti-armor systems, grenade launchers, demolition munitions for obstacle clearing, riverine patrol boats, and more.
