WASHINGTON: The Biden administration on Tuesday announced new package of military assistance to Ukraine worth up to $300 million.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan announced the assistance package in a briefing at the White House.
Sullivan said that Ukraine does not have enough weapons to fight against Russian troops. He added that Russian war is costing terrain and lives adding that the United States and the NATO alliance cannot remain silent on the Russian advances.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said under the package Ukraine would get stinger anti-aircraft missiles, additional ammunition for HIMARS, 155-millimeter artillery rounds, AT4 anti-armor systems, high explosive and dual-purpose improved cluster munition rounds, 105-millimeter artillery rounds, additional rounds of small weapons, munitions for obstacle clearing, maintenance and other equipment.
According to Sullivan the new aid package was possible because of cost savings in different contracts. He added the new aid package would only provide Ukraine enough ammunition for couple of weeks.
The official said the package is not enough to meet Ukraine’s battlefield requirements needs and it will not save Ukraine from running out of ammunition in the weeks to come.
The last Ukraine assistance package from the US was announced in late December.
This is not the first time the Pentagon has announced extra, unexpected sources of funding for Ukraine. Last year, the Defense Department announced that it had discovered an error that led to overvaluing of aid it was giving to Ukraine by $6.2 billion.
