Exclusive: $150 Million in Ukraine Military Aid Expected Wednesday
The United States is providing up to $150 million in additional military aid for Ukraine in a package expected as soon as Wednesday, three U.S. military officials tell VOA, a week after Ukraine used its newest weapon from the United States to pummel Russian military targets deep into Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine.
The package includes more GMLRS rockets for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), TOW anti-tank missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles and 155 mm rounds, according to two of the officials who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity to discuss the package prior to its announcement.
The availability of 155 mm rounds has raised concerns in recent days as U.S. partners Ukraine and Israel both need them to fight their wars, one against Russia’s invasion, the other against Palestinian militant group Hamas, who killed hundreds of Israelis and kidnapped dozens more in a brazen terrorist attack on October 7.
Washington has said it is able to support Tel Aviv’s and Kyiv’s military needs.
The U.S. withdrew some 155 mm rounds from its war reserves stockpile in Israel to replenish U.S. stockpiles in Europe earlier this year, but after October 7, much of those rounds were redirected back to Israel to provide to the Israel Defense Forces, according to a senior defense official.
“Yes, 155 [mm rounds] is an area that both have in common. But broadly speaking, that’s just one small area, and we don’t assess right now that we’re going to have any problems providing them with both,” Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Monday.
Ukraine launched ATACMS at Russian forces last week after the United States secretly provided a small number of the long-range ballistic missiles to Ukraine in recent days. The ATACMS provided to Ukraine have a maximum range of about 170 kilometers (106 miles), nearly twice as far as the other HIMARS artillery rockets in Ukraine’s arsenal and have allowed Ukraine to reach deeper into Russian-controlled territory.
Ukraine said last week that it destroyed at least nine Russian helicopters, an anti-aircraft launcher and an ammunitions depot in Berdiansk and Luhansk during attacks in which ATACMS are thought to have been used against Russian positions.
“Our agreements with President [Joe] Biden are being implemented, and they are being implemented very accurately. ATACMS have proven themselves,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following the attacks.
The package expected Wednesday marks the 49th time that the U.S. has used the presidential drawdown authority to provide Ukraine’s miliary with equipment from U.S. stockpiles.
The U.S. has provided about $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked invasion in February 2022.
The Pentagon still has about $5 billion of congressionally approved funding for Ukrainian military aid, after the Pentagon discovered in June that it had overestimated the value of weapons shipped to Ukraine by about $6 billion.
When calculating its aid package estimates, the Defense Department was counting the cost incurred to replace the weapons given to Ukraine, while it should have been totaling the cost of the systems actually sent, officials told VOA at the time the error was found.
The Pentagon continues to dip into its aid arsenal despite Congress excluding new aid for Ukraine in a stopgap spending bill passed last month to prevent a government shutdown.
Soon after the stopgap spending bill passed, the House ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position as speaker.
The House has yet to vote in a new speaker, and new aid for Ukraine could hinge on who is selected.
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