As Russia’s war reaches a “critical window,” President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that the US will deliver an additional $800 million in military aid to Ukraine.
In a speech from the White House aimed to update Americans on the condition of the fight, Biden announced the latest shipments of help, which include heavy artillery and ammunition. The battle is approaching its second month and entering what US officials have warned may be a violent new phase.
According to Biden, Russia has “refocused” its effort in eastern Ukraine to grab fresh territory, necessitating the flow of western military supplies.
“We’re in a critical window now where they’re… setting the groundwork for the next phase of this war,” Biden said of Russia’s military ambitions. “The US and its allies and partners are acting as quickly as possible to continue to give Ukraine… with the weaponry, equipment, and training that their forces require to protect their country.”
Following a similar-sized measure earlier this month, the President unveiled a new military aid package of around $800 million. If approved, the next package would bring the total amount of US assistance to Ukraine to $3.4 billion since Russia’s incursion began on February 24.
Until Congress approves further money for arms to Ukraine, this would be the last presidential withdrawal. Instead of purchasing new weapons from manufacturers, the Defense Department takes weapons and equipment from US inventory to deploy to Ukraine as part of a presidential drawdown.
Biden said he will ask Congress to approve a second supplementary financial package for Ukraine next week, and that he expects Congress to “move and act fast” on the issue.
“In order to keep arms and ammunition flowing to the heroic Ukrainian soldiers and continue to provide economic support to the Ukrainian people, I’ll have to present a supplemental budget proposal to Congress next week. Biden said.”
Biden also thanked American taxpayers and military personnel for their contributions to Ukraine.
Biden quoted previous President Theodore Roosevelt when discussing the significance of bringing aid to Ukraine, telling reporters, “Sometimes we will speak quietly and carry a giant javelin, because we’re sending a lot of those in as well.” He was referring to a US-supplied anti-tank missile for the Ukrainian military.
As the battle drags on, Biden stated that sharing intelligence is a top priority.
“We’re sharing and will continue to share significant, timely intelligence with Ukraine to assist them in defending themselves against Russian aggression,” he said.
Biden updated Americans on US efforts to support the people of Ukraine in his speech from the White House, as well as announcing a fresh assistance package that was just completed. Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, had met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal earlier in the day, and the President had stopped by.
Biden stated, “We had a good talk.”
Biden also declared that Russian-affiliated ships will be barred from entering American ports. While Russian ship travel is for a minor percentage of overall port activity in the United States, the move is in keeping with the Biden administration’s prior announcement of a Russian aviation restriction in US airspace.
“No ship sailing under the Russian flag, or owned or managed by Russian interests, will be permitted to land in a US port or enter our borders,” Biden stated.
He called it “another key step” that the US and its allies in Canada and Europe were doing “to deny Russia the benefits of the international economic system that they had previously enjoyed.”
For the first time since the Russian assault began, the Biden administration approved another $800 million security package, which included artillery and anti-artillery radars.
The Biden administration is pushing to provide military aid to Ukraine as soon as possible because it feels the war is at a critical juncture, and that ongoing US help may make a difference as Russia’s more aggressive attack on eastern Ukraine intensifies.
The more open terrain in that region lends itself to the deployment of artillery and long-range systems, which is why the administration has prioritized putting those systems in as rapidly as possible as the combat advances away from Kyiv and towards the Donbas region.
In a secure video conversation with fellow global leaders on Monday, Biden addressed increased western support to Ukraine, as well as the necessity to give extra weapons to Ukraine. This week, several nations, notably Canada and the Netherlands, announced their own weaponry supplies to Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Biden met with his senior military officers at the White House, praising the continuous flow of American aid into Ukraine as the battle drags on.
At a meeting in the Cabinet Room, Biden told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and US Combatant Commanders, “Weapons and ammunition are flowing in daily, and we’re seeing just how vital our alliances and partnerships are around the world.”
Because the strategic environment abroad is “changing swiftly,” Biden stated the US force posture must be “dynamic.”
“We’re witnessing the need for adaptation right now as a result of our support for Ukraine in the face of Putin’s harsh and unlawful conflict. I also want to commend you on the outstanding work you’re doing to arm and equip heroic Ukrainians to protect their country “he stated.