CNN
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The Biden administration announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth up to $300 million on Tuesday, after months of warnings that there was no money left, with officials saying the new money would come from arms contracts. said that it was made available as a result of the savings made.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced the policy at a White House briefing Tuesday afternoon.
“If the Russian army advances and the artillery fires, Ukraine doesn't have enough ammunition to fight back. That's a costly terrain. Lives are at stake. And that's what we, the U.S. and NATO “It's a strategic loss to the alliance,” Sullivan said.
President Joe Biden later expressed similar sentiments, saying the policy is “not nearly enough” and Congress needs to pass additional funding.
Biden, speaking alongside Poland's prime minister and president, said: “We must act before it's literally too late, because as Poland remembers, Russia doesn't stop with Ukraine.” Ta. “In my view, President Putin will continue his actions, endangering Europe, the United States, and the entire free world.”
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday that the package includes “155-millimeter artillery shells, 105-millimeter artillery shells, and AT4 anti-aircraft artillery shells, including Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, additional ammunition for HIMARS, high explosives and dual-use improved cluster munitions.” Said to be included. Armor systems, additional small arms ammunition, sabotage, obstacle clearing ammunition, spare parts, maintenance and other ancillary equipment. ”
In explaining how the Pentagon currently has funds available to assist Ukraine, a senior defense official said, “We have savings that can offset the cost of the new funding package.”
The Pentagon still has about $4 billion in withdrawal authority to send to Ukraine, with weapons and equipment drawn directly from the Pentagon's inventory. However, the Pentagon was reluctant to spend the money because there were no replenishment funds left to replenish U.S. inventories.
Another senior defense official said the new savings were the result of “good negotiations” and a “bundling of funds across a variety of things,” and that the Pentagon will be spending money to backfill the aid it sent to Kiev. It said it had secured an additional $300 million in supplemental funding.
Sullivan said the new package was made possible because of “unanticipated cost savings in a contract negotiated by the Department of Defense to replace equipment already sent to Ukraine through a previous drawdown.” Stated.
The second official cited an example in which the company was able to purchase 25mm ammunition at a lower price than originally expected after negotiating a contract with a vendor.
But officials say this is not a sustainable long-term solution to provide much-needed weapons to Ukraine, as House Republican leaders continue to refuse to vote on a bill that would provide additional military aid. revealed.
“This is a bit of an ad hoc or one-off response,” the first official said. “We don't know if or when future savings will occur, and we certainly can't rely on this as a business vehicle.”
“We weren’t bankrupt then, but we are now.”
Sullivan said the package would only provide Ukraine with enough ammunition until last week, possibly for “a few weeks,” and would “not prevent Ukraine from running out of ammunition in the coming weeks.”
“Needless to say, this policy does not override and should not delay the important need to pass a bipartisan national security bill,” Sullivan said.
The last U.S. aid package for Ukraine was announced in late December. At the time, the Pentagon said in a letter to Congress that after the policy was announced, the Pentagon would “deplete available funds for security assistance.”
Asked whether the new aid package would reduce pressure on Congress to pass additional legislation that includes billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, a second official said: “It shouldn't.” .
“This replenishment is absolutely essential not only for Ukraine to win this conflict, but also for our preparedness. This does not change it at all. It's a great package.”
This is not the first time the Pentagon has announced additional unexpected sources of funding for Ukraine. Last year, the Pentagon announced it had discovered an accounting error that caused it to overstate the amount of aid it was providing to Ukraine by $6.2 billion. The additional funding gives the department a cushion and allows it to withdraw military aid to Ukraine for a longer period of time than expected, CNN previously reported.
Without support and arms supplies from the United States, Ukraine would be on the back foot in a war with Russia, outnumbered and outgunned by an enemy whose economy has fully transitioned to wartime mode. Last month, Russian troops raised their national flag in Avdiivka, eastern Ukraine, after months of attacks.
With Ukraine on the decline, the Biden administration has asked the House of Representatives to act on a $60 billion supplemental budget already passed by the Senate.
“We believe support will still exist if the House vote is granted,” a second defense official said. But House Republican leaders have refused to vote on the bill, forcing the Pentagon to think differently about how to send aid to Ukraine.
“If there is no longer any guarantee that help will be available, we need to make a different risk calculation to proceed any further,” the official said.