The Biden administration announced its 36th Presidential Drawdown of military assistance for Ukraine Wednesday, and will send Kyiv about $325 million worth of assets.
The new package brings the total military aid pledged for Ukraine to $35 billion since Russia invaded in February of 2022. The White House seemingly promised more security assistance is on the way, saying the U.S. and its allies will continue to help provide Ukraine with the battlefield capabilities it needs.
New $325 million aid package announced by the DOD for Ukraine, including:
HIMARS ammunition
155mm and 105mm artillery rounds
TOW missiles
AT-4s
AT mines
Demolition munitions
9 million rounds of small arms ammunition
“Precision aerial munitions” pic.twitter.com/XjyKy1NOGT— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 19, 2023
The aid includes HIMARS ammunition, artillery rounds, tube-launched missiles, anti-armor weapons systems, anti-tank mines, more than nine million rounds of small arms ammunition, four logistics support vehicles and more.
“This new security assistance will enable Ukraine to continue to bravely defend itself in the face of Russia’s brutal, unprovoked and unjustified war,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who authorized the drawdown, said in a statement. “Russia could end its war today. Until Russia does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Washington has been by far the biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine since the war began, and the administration has pledged to continue its current strategy despite few signs that a negotiated end to the war is near. (RELATED: Two American Citizens Killed Fighting In Ukraine: State Department)
Recently-leaked Pentagon documents reveal that the administration is skeptical that an upcoming Ukrainian offensive in the country’s east will be successful, and that American officials anticipate the conflict will be mired in a stalemate throughout 2023. Some experts and officials have raised concerns that continuing with the current pace of U.S. aid to Ukraine will render the U.S. vulnerable in a potential conflict due to a shortage of supplies and backlogged supply chains.