U.S. to send $300 million in weapons to Ukraine
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it was sending up to $300 million in weapons to Ukraine, the first new aid package for the country since funding ran out in late December.
The package, pulled together from money that Army accountants cobbled from savings from contracts that came in under bid, includes air defense interceptors, artillery rounds and armor systems, senior defense officials said. Two U.S. officials said the package also includes an older version of the Army's longer-range missile systems known as ATACMS, which can travel 100 miles.
It is a stopgap measure at best, the officials said, but Ukraine is in dire need of air defense systems in particular, as Russia has continued its bombardment of towns particularly in the east.
The makeshift solution would keep advancing Russian troops at bay for only a few weeks, one official said.
Announcing the aid package at the White House, the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said that “Ukrainian troops have fought bravely, are fighting bravely, are fighting bravely throughout this war, but they are now forced to ration their ammunition under pressure on multiple fronts.”
He said the new package would “keep Ukraine's guns firing for a period, but only a short period.” Sullivan called for Congress to pass a new Ukraine aid bill “as soon as possible.”
He said that Ukraine desperately needed the assistance to hold the line against Russian attacks but that “it goes without saying this package does not displace and should not delay the critical need to pass the bipartisan national security bill.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, in his overnight address, thanked “the United States and all Americans who value freedom” for their support of his country.