With Congress deliberating over a foreign aid package, the Biden administration recently announced “urgent” military assistance for Ukraine.
The Pentagon said the massive aid package will consist of artillery, air defense and anti-tank weapons for Ukraine.
“With a lack of replacement funds available to replenish DoD inventories, the Administration had been forced to pause PDA packages since December 2023,” the department said in a statement. “DoD is able to support this extraordinary package after identifying contract savings from previously appropriated supplemental funding that can be applied to replace DoD stocks.”
“Today’s announcement provides a short-term stop gap, but it is nowhere near enough to meet Ukraine’s battlefield needs. Without supplemental funding, DoD will remain hard-pressed to meet Ukraine’s capability requirements at a time when Russia is pressing its attacks against Ukrainian forces and cities,” the department added.
Among the items included in the $300 million aid proposal for Ukraine are Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), demolitions munitions for clearing obstacles and other ancillary equipment.
Biden wants to send $300 million more to Ukraine because of “unanticipated cost savings.”
The true cost is to our own national defense and economy, and the American people will pay for it dearly if it doesn’t stop. https://t.co/EgW6aXNfe7 pic.twitter.com/LEIap1LDFL
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) March 12, 2024
The Biden administration’s proposed aid package marks the 55th to Ukraine, according to Townhall.
Following the announcement, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan emphasized the need to send Ukraine ammunition but said it would only last briefly and would do little to prevent the European country from running out of ammunition in the forthcoming weeks.
“This ammunition will keep Ukraine’s guns firing for a period, but only a short period,” Sullivan said. “It is nowhere near enough to meet Ukraine’s battlefield needs, and it will not prevent Ukraine from running out of ammunition in the weeks to come.”
The Biden administration’s announcement comes after President Joe Biden spoke about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression, the war in Ukraine and Sweden’s entrance into the North Atlantic Trade Organization (NATO) during his State of the Union address.
In his speech, the president criticized congressional Republicans for blocking funding to Ukraine and applauded Sweden’s membership with the alliance.
Despite his consistent plea to send Ukraine additional aid, the European country’s first lady declined to attend Biden’s State of the Union address.
Since Feb. 24, 2022, the U.S. has sent Ukraine nearly $40 billion in weapons and other equipment to help the country fight against Russia.
