For Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines in the east, the arrival of new American artillery and armored vehicles could mean the difference between holding ground and being overrun. For families huddled in bomb shelters in Kharkiv and Mariupol, the promise of fresh supplies of weapons offers a fragile hope that their communities might yet be spared the worst of a feared Russian onslaught.
President Joe Biden has approved an $800 million package of military assistance for Ukraine, anticipating a new Russian offensive in the eastern part of the country. The aid includes additional helicopters, the first provision of American artillery, armored personnel carriers, armored Humvees, and naval drone vessels used in coastal defense. Also included are gear and equipment to protect soldiers in chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological attacks.
New capabilities for a wider assault
“This new package of assistance will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already provided, new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine,” Biden said in a statement. “The steady supply of weapons the United States and its allies and partners have provided to Ukraine has been critical in sustaining its fight against the Russian invasion. It has helped ensure that Putin failed in his initial war aims to conquer and control Ukraine. We cannot rest now.”
Biden announced the aid after a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It is the latest in a series of U.S. security assistance packages valued at a combined $2.6 billion that has been committed to Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24. The weaponry and support material has played an important role in Ukraine’s successful defense thus far.
Pressure to expand and accelerate aid
Biden is under pressure from members of both parties in Congress to expand and accelerate U.S. aid. Robert Gates, a former CIA director and defense secretary, said he believes the administration needs to push hard for weapon donations by NATO members in Eastern Europe, whose arsenals include Soviet-era tanks and other weaponry and equipment that could help Ukraine immediately.
“The United States ought to be acting, 24/7. How do we mobilize the equipment and how do we get it into Ukraine and into the hands of the Ukrainians,” Gates said in an online forum sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment.
Among the other items in the package are 11 Soviet-era Mi-17 helicopters that the United States had planned to provide to Afghanistan before Biden last year decided to fully withdraw from the country. They are transport helicopters that also can function in an attack role. The Pentagon previously had sent five Mi-17s to Ukraine, according to Pentagon spokesperson Kirby.
What to watch next
As the conflict enters its next phase, the focus will be on how quickly these weapons can reach Ukrainian forces and whether NATO allies in Eastern Europe will contribute additional Soviet-era equipment that requires minimal training. The Biden administration’s ability to sustain a flow of arms while avoiding direct confrontation with Russia will remain a key question in the weeks ahead.
