On Thursday, President Biden announced another $1.3 billion in aid for Ukraine. Of that amount, $800 million will go towards a new weapons package, and $500 million will go directly to the Ukrainian government for economic assistance.
The $800 million in military aid includes howitzers, artillery rounds, vehicles to tow the howitzers, and new drones specifically developed for Ukraine, known as Ghost drones, which the Pentagon says have similar capabilities to the Switchblade drones it has been providing to Kyiv.
According to the Pentagon, the package includes:
- 72 155mm Howitzers and 144,000 artillery rounds;
- 72 Tactical Vehicles to tow 155mm Howitzers;
- Over 121 Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems; and
- Field equipment and spare parts.
The new package brings the total military aid pledged by the Biden administration for Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24 to a whopping $3.4 billion. Including direct economic assistance given to Ukraine, the total aid climbs to $4.4 billion.
The US first started sending howitzers to Ukraine as part of a separate military aid package that was announced last week. The providing of heavy artillery marks an escalation in US aid for Ukraine. The Pentagon said the US has begun training Ukrainian forces on how to use the howitzers in an undisclosed location outside of Ukraine.
The US and its NATO allies continue to pour weapons into Ukraine despite warnings from Russia to stop. On top of the military aid, the Western powers are also escalating sanctions against Russia and are digging in to isolate Russia for the long term.
Is Congress voting on this or is this just Biden doing this? Since when does the executive branch get to use taxpayer dollars for whatever it wants?
I agree, but that’s funny. I can only imagine how one-sided that vote would be. Probably demand more.
Agreed, they probably would. But at least that would give us the opportunity to call our individual congressmen and complain.
I don’t think this is constitutional, unless the pres has some kind of slush fund to spend on “favored” nations.
Agreed. I don’t understand how Biden can get away with this.
The TV “presenter” alludes to an Executive discretionary war powers fund that with this latest tranch will be exhausted. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting legal question. One which could possibly give us a hook; … and while the courts are as corrupt as Congress, it would still be a focus for anti-war.
If it can steal an election, it can surely dole out money with strings attached! Al Capone would be proud of this grotesque display of “government”!
I believe AUMF is still alive.
“Of that amount, $800 million will go towards a new weapons package”
Again? Is that the only number Biden can remember? Or do they keep using the $800 million so people will think it’s the original $800 million? That $500 million in economic aid would fix a lot of roads in my state.
The Bidens and the Ukraine and all that money flowing because of the war? Doesn’t ring any suspicion bells? Is there a commission fee for starting wars? The way the Nazi Ukranian government treated its own citizens BEFORE it was attacked does anyone think this money is going to actually help the humanitarian aspect? Pouring money into Ukraine is only lengthening a war for profit’s sake. It will never allow the root causes of all this to be mended!
Gog needs to arm up now before it pivots South for the big one.
The sun will scorch the earth on the far side, our side .
Ship it now
Who knows where that moneey is really going?
Any estimate if how much if the newest weapons sgiomentc was destroyed un the hit on three mst recent storage sites near Polish border? The inly reaction to destruction is — more money.
I’m sure the Pentagon accounting department is all over it ;?)
Ukraine has lost air supremacy to Russia, meaning artillery is unlikely to be operational for any length of time. Even if they can get these units to the front under a barrage of cruise missiles on warehouses and storage facilities during transit.
Ukrainian have been using their planes, helicopters, drones, and artillery since day one. Russia hasn’t even achieved air superiority. Get your terms right.
And … Russia will immediately bomb/destroy these items if and when they land or travel into the country by train or on trucks? They’d be idiots to not do so.
So, what is this? Theater for back home with elections coming up? More money for the military corporations already bloated to bursting (but never saying enough)? BS for the Ukrainian satraps to crow about to their captive audience back home? Perhaps all the above?
OOOooo great. Zelinsky said Ukraine would become another Israel. and it looks like another welfare client too, wilt its hand down un uncle Sam’s pocket…
I’d say that Ukraine is becoming another victim of US foreign policy. The US will provide Ukraine with weapons to sell on the black market and economic aid in exchange for having their country destroyed and their people killed or driven off. That’s how the US conducts business.
How many roads and bridges could have been repaired back home with that money?
The money was always there, they just aint doing it. Just like the money was always there for health care, you can just die. The money was always there for education, they prefer you not to be educated.
The US doesn’t educate. It indoctrinates.
And they are getting very good at it. Separate people into well controlled sub-groups, all forms of social redefining and identity politics. Both right and left and everything in the middle fall for it. Right now, a small degment of people are capable to research, analize and synthesize foor themselves, All served in podcasts -/ just in time bite-size prolaganda ready for consumption.
Then repeat, repeatvand repeat. Then take a poll to find out just how the exucation is working. Then adjust — until you get the loll scores they like.
When the public school system goes, the country will go. Can you imagine a charter school sponsored by Capitol One??
OSCE’s mission in Donbass is a lie. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics have banned the organization and ordered it to leave their territory.
The OSCE has used high-resolution cameras, originally placed to conduct ceasefire monitoring, to relay DNR and LNR positions to the Ukrainian military which would then use the provided data to target or correct their artillery fire at the DNR and LNR forces. The OSCE mission in Donbass provided the Armed Forces of Ukraine with their observation data, captured by cameras and other monitoring equipment they installed over the last 8 years.
The OSCE was waging war on the side of the post-Maidan Kiev regime. The OSCE monitoring data also included the movement of regular Russian military personnel in the last 50+ days. Russia, an OSCE member state, has pointed out that the organization’s actions have contributed to the death of Russian and DNR/LNR troops.
Anyone here stupid enough to believe that the US developed drones “specific to Ukraine” in the last couple months? Right, thought not. Maybe Don Bacon…
144,000 rounds of howitzer ought to last maybe five days, if the Russians don’t blow it up first on arrival.
Someone is making a lot of money on these deals – and it’s not you.
Only Russians could spend this much in days as they only know how to fire for effect and level cities. Ukrainians are better ArtilleryMen, they don’t waste their ammo. Ukrainians have 100s of pieces of artillery still active all over the country.
I am stupid enough to believe that about Drones.
Here’s an example; a drone designed for weather data or communications collection, if you remove its sensor payloads and replace it with a targeting sensor and strap 1-2 hellfires to it, you now have converted the capability of such drone without having to manufacture a new one. That can be done in no time.
In other words, this isn’t “aid to Ukraine” – it’s aid to the MIC.
Complete madness. It will not stop Russia (and what reason have you really got for being so extreme in your “defense” of country 404??) What are you hiding there? Russia wanted just security guarantees, including Ukraine NOT in NATO, which you claim is “defensive”. Against what??? Why is this impossible?
I guess the Russians could always use more target practice.
By target you mean Ukrainian cities? Don’t forget ,Ukraine, the underdog here, is also inflicting a lot of casualties and damage to the Russian Army and Putin’s ego. And that’s not target practice, that’s fighting for their land.
joe b. says 0 money for us on Main Street
To the homeless: no sheltering for YOU.
To the hungry: no price decreases in food for YOU.
To the sick: no universal health care for YOU.
To the underpaid: no raise in the minimum wage for YOU.
To the Ukainazis: more targets to be bombed by the Russians for YOU.
Don‘t forget 10% for the big guy.
This $1.3 billion will provide a feeding frenzy of graft, kickbacks, and vigorish to half of DC
Don’t forget, Russian annual defense budget gets taxed 20-40% by Putin and his Oligarch team to fund their luxurious lifestyles.
Information, please.
Our leaders and oligarchs are not enjoying luxurious lifestyles?
Lame disinformation -.but nice try anyways. Better luck next time.
Russia Faces ‘Reverse Industrialization’ in Sanction Squeeze
Bank of Russia publishes first detailed outlook since invasion, long, deep recession
seen with return of some 1990s phenomena
Russia faces a very deep and prolonged economic contraction along with higher inflation and reduced living standards, as sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies over the invasion of Ukraine sap it of vital products and technology, according to economists at the central bank.
In the most detailed public statement on the outlook since the war started, the Bank of Russia’s Research Department warned in a report that “the depth of the contraction may be quite significant and exit trajectory drawn out in time” because the supply shocks triggered by sanctions are unlikely to fade quickly.
The central bank will release its updated forecasts after a rate-setting meeting on Apr. 29 and the Research Department’s outlooks don’t always coincide with those official ones. But the bank’s survey of analysts released Thursday found expectations of the contraction this
year had worsened to 9.2%, while inflation is seen at 22% by the end of 2022.
“The current recession is of a transformational, structural nature and will be bigger in scale and length in all scenarios” than the last one, triggered by Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, the Research Department said. The pullout from Russia by hundreds of international companies is likely to have a a bigger impact than the direct sanctions, it said.
For the moment, the slowdown is showing up mainly in surveys of companies, as inventories build up before the Feb. 24 invasion haven’t yet been exhausted.
But that lull won’t last, the report said, as sanctions this year cut in to supply chains and Russian companies scramble to make up for components that are no longer available. Over time, machinery and equipment will wear out for lack of spare parts, reducing efficiency.
The business slowdown will flow into falling demand, job cuts and incomes, further weakening the economy, according to the report. Domestic production isn’t likely to surge to replace the missing output at this stage. Imports, especially of consumer goods, will shift to the “shuttle trade” seen in the 1990s, when Russians en masse flew to China, Turkey and other markets to bring back goods to sell on open markets.
“The small purchasing volumes and complicated logistics will make those imports more expensive and mean that it’s impossible for them to replace traditional suppliers,” the report said.
Inflation “will inevitably accelerate temporarily,” according to the report.
The worst of the contraction in output, incomes and jobs “is likely to happen roughly by the end of 2022,” it said.
Huh. Higher inflation, reverse industrialization and lower standard of living… wait .. that describes the effect sanctions have on the EU, US and other NATO countries too.
China thanks you for your support though.
$800 million is nothing, the US economy is about $24 trillion.
$800 million is about 0.0033% of $24 trillion, so a lot of fuss over nothing.
To those of you who are worried about the US economy, look at the BIG TICKETS in the budget instead of focusing on things that don’t have an impact.
You start adding up all those nothings, and it doesn’t take too much adding to come up with a lot of somethings that aren’t being used here at home.
If you want to achieve something, lot at larger items in your budget.
You can’t fill a bucket with just a few drops.
All those drops add up eventually to a full pail being wasted on death and war.
So go ahead and put all your money in that pail. all
Oh yeah, you believe in the glorious deep state and all that stuff. No wonder you support regimes like Ukraine.
That $1,300,ooo,ooo aid package includes $2,880,ooo,ooo just in artillery shells out the factory door (no Amazon delivery). Nothing else included. There are a bunch of mic lobbyists wildly laughing at your post, and including lunch on our bill.
You forgot the 60%+ discount given to peace loving regimes like Saudi Arabia and Ukraine.
A single drop in a swimming pool, will it make a difference?
It won’t.
Obviously, not to you and your Easter bunny view of economics.
Just because I don’t share your views, my Russki comrade?
They sure do know how to spend money that the country doesn’t have.
Here is some math….155mm shell costs, from Inside Defense …. regular rnd $14ooo per unit, extended rnd $15ooo per unit, guided rnd whopping $177ooo per round. If they send a dozen of the guided along with the others, comes to about $20,ooo per round. Multiply by the stated 144,ooo rounds promised, that’s $2,880,ooo,ooo. Just the shells out the factory door. None of the other crap even figured in. Oh, don’t know delivery charge for 155mm shells. 80,ooo additional shells were promised last week. Some whacked out math.
You can even do multiplication, I have to admit I underestimated you!
Not many orcs can do that.
There’s gold in that thar country, Ukraine I think it is called! (says Raytheon, et al)
But of course there’s no money for the child tax credit.
Give all the money you want Joe, in the end Putin will take what he wants and the US will have egg all over is face for getting so many Ukraine people killed with their lies that Ukraine can win this war.
The letter Z is now serving a similar function to the Star of David in Nazi Germany. The US and EU politicians have now rehabilitated the Third Reich.
To quote Josip Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, “this war must be won on the battlefield“. I think Russia agrees with you. WAR IT IS.
https://thegrayzone.com/2022/04/17/traitor-zelensky-assassination-kidnapping-arrest-political-opposition/
Now that Mariupol has been reunited with the DPR the Somali Battalion has been redeployed to the Avdiivka frontline. Mariupol was a Nazi stronghold and a very ugly face of the regime in Kiev, the EU, NATO and the US.
where is the aid for americans?