US sends $300 million in weapons to Ukraine in improvised plan
The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it would send 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, made up of money that army accountants raised from savings from out-bid contracts, includes air defense interceptors, artillery shells and armor systems, senior defense officials said. It was unclear whether the measure also included longer-range missiles known as ATACMs.
It is a stopgap measure at best, the officials said, but Ukraine is especially in urgent need of air defense systems as Russia has continued its bombing of cities, especially in the east.
The makeshift solution would only hold advancing Russian forces at bay for a few weeks, an official said.
The Senate has passed an emergency aid bill, including $60.1 billion for Ukraine. But the measure faces an uncertain fate in the House of Representatives, where Republican leaders have refused to put it to a vote. While congressional officials say there is a critical mass of support for continuing to arm Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, the Republican Party is increasingly turning away from its traditional aggressive stance and belief in projecting American power and democratic principles all over the world.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who opposes aid to Ukraine, must fight his way through a handful of ultraconservative lawmakers who have said they will move to impeach him if he misses a vote on the bill. allows aid to Ukraine without strict immigration measures.
For President Biden, who has taken the lead in calling on the West to stand up for Ukraine against the Russian invasion and occupation, the issue has become an embarrassing one on the international stage.
US political paralysis has led to critical shortages on Ukraine’s battlefields, according to Pentagon officials. As each day passes without new supplies of ammunition and artillery, and Ukrainian crews ration the shells they have, morale suffers.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Biden administration has sent more than $75 billion in cash and equipment to the country for defense. Most of the aid has gone to Ukraine’s military operations, keeping the government running and meeting humanitarian needs.
The money ran out in December, and Mr. Biden asked Congress for the authority to start a new influx of cash and equipment that only Congress can approve. But many Republicans object to more taxpayer money being poured into the conflict.