Weapons for $300 million
USA wants to send Kiev “modest” military package
March 12, 2024, 8:14 p.m
There has been no aid from the USA for Ukraine since December. The Republicans are blocking all advances in the US Congress. Now the Pentagon has “saved” several million on arms purchases and is sending, among other things, artillery shells – urgently needed at the front.
For months, the USA, for a long time by far Ukraine’s most important supporter in the defense campaign, was completely out of action. Now the government of US President Joe Biden has announced an emergency aid package with military equipment for Ukraine, albeit with a financial contribution that it describes as “modest”.
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on Tuesday at the White House in Washington that the planned package was worth 300 million US dollars (275 million euros) and included, among other things, a large number of artillery shells. These are currently needed more urgently by Ukraine than anything else, as the Russian invaders at the front have far more grenades at their disposal than the Ukrainians on the defensive. In some sections, Kiev’s troops are supposed to defend themselves against a Russian force that is 1 to 10 superior.
The package will also include a number of U.S. Army tactical missile systems, according to U.S. officials. According to a report in the US magazine Politico, anti-personnel/anti-matter missiles (APAM) will be included, as well as an older version of the ATACMS long-range missiles, which have a range of 100 miles and carry warheads with hundreds of cluster bombs.
According to information from the White House, the new package is based on funds that the US Department of Defense saved through negotiations on previous arms purchases. Sullivan emphasized that the new ammunition could only help Kiev for a short time. “It is far from sufficient to meet Ukraine’s battlefield needs and will not prevent Ukraine from running out of ammunition in the coming weeks,” he said, urging: “Congress must act.”
Republicans have been blocking aid since December
Since the war began in February 2022, Biden’s government has provided more than $44 billion in military aid to Kiev, or about 40 billion euros. But since December, Ukraine has been waiting for new financial commitments and additional weapons and ammunition from the USA. The background is a domestic political blockage in the US Congress, where Republicans are refusing further aid. With their blockade, the Republicans want to force the Democratic government to accommodate them on issues of border security against illegal migration from Mexico. The party wants to implement tougher measures there.
When the funds previously approved by Congress were exhausted, the United States stopped supporting Ukraine, far earlier than European governments had expected such a situation. If former President Donald Trump wins the primaries and the presidential election in the fall, Washington’s assistance to Ukraine may be completely in question.
It is currently still unclear whether support from the USA can be increased again in a significant way, at least until autumn. Republicans in the US House of Representatives are also continuing to block billions in aid for Ukraine, which Biden had already requested from Parliament in October. The US Senate has now passed an aid package for Kiev worth around $60 billion (around €55 billion), but approval from the other chamber of parliament is still pending. There is currently no movement in this direction in the House of Representatives.