Pentagon announces $1.2 billion long-term military assistance to Ukraine
Mike Brest
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The Department of Defense announced a new $1.2 billion long-term military aid package to Ukraine on Tuesday.
This package includes additional air defense systems and munitions, 155mm artillery rounds, and equipment to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine’s air defense systems, among other weapons.
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It will be provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which relies on the U.S. using defense contractors to procure those weapons rather than delivering weapons from current stockpiles. The aid provided through USAI will take longer to reach Ukraine than when the administration provides aid via the president’s drawdown authority, which is when the weapons come from U.S. stockpiles.
“This USAI package underscores the continued U.S. commitment to meeting Ukraine’s most urgent requirements by committing critical near-term capabilities, such as air defense systems and munitions, while also building the capacity of Ukraine’s Armed Forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long term,” the department said in its announcement. “The United States will continue to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements.”
The U.S. has committed $37.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration and $36.9 billion since the beginning of the war in February 2022.
This package comes ahead of Ukraine’s expected counteroffensive, which officials believe will commence in the coming weeks. The U.S. and allies have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars of aid and training ahead of this push, where they will try to reclaim Russian-occupied territory.
U.S. officials have warned that Ukraine will likely have a difficult time accomplishing its goals this year, while also noting that Russia may not have the capabilities to launch offensive attacks either.
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Also on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech at scaled-back Victory Day celebrations, where he reiterated common talking points about how the West is supposedly threatening Russian security and way of life. In previous years under Putin, the May 9 Victory Parade, which commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany in what Russia calls the Great Patriotic War, would be a showcase of the Russian military’s capabilities, but this year, there was only one tank on hand, a World War II-era T-34 tank.
In his seven-minute address, the Russian leader said that “a real war has once again been waged against our homeland. Today, civilization is at a critical juncture,” while blaming it on the “Western elites.”