Washington rushes ammo, weapons to Ukraine

Pentagon confirms sending long-range missiles to Ukraine before the approval of the $61-billion defense aid for Ukraine

Air defense munitions, artillery rounds, ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket launchers, anti-tank weapons and armored vehicles worth $1 billion are being rushed by the United States (US) to Ukraine shortly after President Joe Biden signed into law a bill providing $61 billion in military aid to Kyiv.

The Pentagon announced the initial batch of the aid package long sought by Ukraine to fend off intensified Russian airstrikes on its infrastructure that resulted in civilian casualties.

“I just signed into law the national security package that was passed by the House of Representatives this weekend, and by the Senate yesterday,” Biden told reporters, saying he is “making sure the shipments start right away, in the next few hours.”

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky quickly expressed thanks on social media.

“I am grateful to President Biden, Congress, and all Americans who recognize that we must cut the ground under Putin’s feet rather than obeying him, as this is the only way to truly reduce threats to freedom,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, the State Department confirmed Wednesday that the US had secretly sent long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles to Ukraine as part of the March assistance package, fulfilling a long-standing request from Kyiv.

“We did not announce this at the onset in order to maintain operational security for Ukraine at their request,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters, adding that the “missiles arrived in Ukraine this month.”

Some ATACMS missiles can hit targets up to 300 kilometers away, and a Defense Department spokesperson confirmed that was the long-range variant supplied to Ukraine.

The White House said last year that the US sent a shorter-range variant of ATACMS that can travel 165 kilometers.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the US plans to send more of the long-range missiles to Ukraine.