President Biden on Thursday announced the U.S. will send another $800 million in military aid to Ukraine to assist its ability to fight invading Russian forces.
The package comes a week after the administration sent an $800 million weapons package to Ukraine, and as Ukraine will need to fend off Russian forces fighting to control the Donbas region.
With Thursday’s announcement, the U.S. has committed $4 billion in security assistance since the start of the Biden administration, including $3.4 billion since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24.
The weapons: Thursday’s package will include 72 155mm howitzers, 144,000 artillery rounds and 72 tactical vehicles to tow the howitzers, according to a statement from the Pentagon.
Ukraine will also be receiving 121 Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems developed by the Air Force for specifically Ukraine.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters that these systems, made by AEVEX Aerospace, have similar capabilities to the Switchblade—a rapidly-deployable system that can be used against personnel and light vehicles.
The limitations on drawdown authority: To rush weapons to Ukraine, Biden has relied on presidential drawdown authority to direct the Pentagon to send weapons from its own stockpiles.
Biden acknowledged on Tuesday that he was nearing the limits of the drawdown authority provided to him under the $1.5 trillion omnibus bill he signed last month, which included $13.6 billion in supplemental aid to help Ukraine.
Therefore, he will ask Congress next week to approve supplemental funding to “keep weapons and ammunition flowing without interruption.”
When asked how much supplemental funding he would request, Biden said “that's being decided now,” adding, “I'm asking the Defense Department to put together what they think we need.”
A new phase of the fight: U.S. officials have in recent weeks warned Russia may be refocusing its efforts in Ukraine on hitting the Donbas region in a bid to overwhelm Ukrainian forces there after initial assaults on Kyiv and other major cities stalled.
Officials have warned the next phase of the fight could drag on for months or longer.
Other things to watch for: In addition to the military aid, the Biden administration will ask for $500 million to help Ukraine keep government services. The president also announced a ban on Russian-affiliate ships docking in U.S. ports.
Further, Biden also announced that the U.S. will pledge to take in 100,000 Ukrainians displaced by the crisis.
As part of this, the Uniting for Ukraine program will allow Ukrainians to apply to stay in the U.S. for up to two years through a process known as humanitarian parole, which allows government officials to temporarily waive immigration requirements.
