Now that the Senate has approved a nearly $61 billion aid package for Ukraine and President Biden prepares to sign it, desperately needed American weapons could arrive on the battlefield within days. There is.
Ehor Cherniev, deputy chairman of the National Security Committee of Ukraine's parliament, said the arms package, which has been delayed by political wrangling by House Republicans since last fall, is a “lifeline” for Kyiv's military.
But the plan does not include everything Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked for to preserve military power after two years of war with invading Russian forces.
Here's a look at what Ukraine needs, what it expects to get from the US aid package, and whether it's enough to bring about immediate change.
What Ukraine wants.
Zelenskiy said that above all Ukraine needs artillery shells and long-range missiles to attack Russian forces, as well as air defense to protect key infrastructure such as cities, military bases, power plants and weapons factories.
“We need to inflict maximum damage on everything that Russia uses as terrorist bases and military logistics,” Zelenskiy said in an evening address to the Ukrainian people on Monday.
To do that, he said, Ukraine needs more long-range land tactical missile systems known as ATACMS, pronounced “attack-ems,” that can strike behind enemy lines and deep into Russian-controlled territory. The United States sent a small number of ATACMS, which have a range of about 160 miles, to Ukraine last year, and they were used to attack two Russian air bases in October. Ukraine wants a long-range version that can hit targets about 300 miles away.
Artillery shells donated by Western countries, including 155-millimeter shells that fit NATO-standard launchers, have been in short supply in Ukraine for more than a year, and the Russian military fires 10 times as many shells on the battlefield as the outgunned Ukrainian army. It's because I'm doing it. Mr. Zelenskiy said last week that he would send in the military.
Zelenskiy also called air defense “very important”, especially the US-made Patriot surface-to-air ballistic missile system. And he has been pushing for more than a year to bring in F-16 jets to provide an additional layer of air defense for Ukraine's ground wars.
What will Ukraine gain?
The Pentagon is preparing what U.S. officials revealed Tuesday is a $1 billion military aid package that will be rushed to Ukraine once Biden signs the funding bill. The package, first reported by Reuters, includes shoulder-fired Stinger surface-to-air missiles, 155-millimeter artillery shells, anti-tank guided missiles and combat vehicles.
US officials said the package would also include ammunition for the so-called High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which can fire ATACMS missiles. The official did not say whether ATACMS would specifically be part of the aid, one reason the Pentagon has generally resisted discussing the use of missiles in Ukraine. There were also concerns that admitting that Russia was sending long-range weapons to Ukraine would provoke Russia. war.
It is unclear whether the United States will send new Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, as Germany and other allies have reportedly requested. These systems are rare and expensive, and giving Ukraine one more could mean distancing it from protecting U.S. assets, both domestically and abroad.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that the U.S. aid plan would allow for an “advanced air defense system” to reach Ukraine, but he did not specify what kind.
Stoltenberg also said that NATO allies are working on delivering F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. But the United States has so far refused to donate the jets, although the Air Force has helped train dozens of Ukrainian pilots who are learning to fly the jets. Officials say about 12 pilots should be able to fly F-16s in combat by July, but only six will be delivered to Ukraine by then.
Is that enough?
The $61 billion aid package is designated as aid to Ukraine, but Pentagon officials say it will be used to replenish U.S. stockpiles nearly emptied by the past two years of war or to produce additional weapons. He said as much as $48 billion would go to U.S. weapons manufacturers. Weapons for Ukraine.
The $1 billion injection the Pentagon is preparing will come from the remaining funds and will be “delivered by the end of this week,” said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee. He said it was possible. It could help immediately strengthen Ukraine's front lines, which need to quickly interdict Russian drones, fighters, and light bombers and prevent Ukraine from falling behind.
But Ukrainian officials appear skeptical that enough weapons will be deployed quickly or consistently over the coming months to maintain momentum.
“When we have it and we have it, we have a chance to take this initiative and move forward to protect Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said Sunday on NBC News' “Meet the Press.” he said. But “it depends on how quickly we get this aid,” he said.
Weapons and ammunition sent to Ukraine are often drawn from Pentagon assets in Europe, with shipments coordinated by about 300 staff based in Germany.
But the United States and other allies have repeatedly warned for months that they have little weapons available to supply Ukraine until arms production catches up with the war's strong demand. For this reason, Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, questioned where the new weapons packages would come from in an interview published on Tuesday.
“Do we have this equipment?” Markarova told Ukrainian daily Ukraiska Pravda. “Can we find and produce enough equipment quickly?”
Funding will help, she says, but she questions whether all the weapons and equipment being paid for will be “ready for delivery.”
“Unfortunately, no,” Markarova said.