The US on Wednesday announced a new massive $1.85 billion weapons package for Ukraine that includes a Patriot air defense system for the first time, marking an escalation of US military aid for Kyiv.
The Patriots will be the most advanced air defense system the US is providing Ukraine and will require six months of training for Ukrainian forces, which will likely take place in Germany. Russia has warned strongly against providing such systems, saying the Patriots will be a legitimate target for the Russian military, but the Biden administration doesn’t seem concerned about potential escalations.
The Kremlin said Wednesday that additional US weapons for Ukraine will lead “to an aggravation of the conflict and, in fact, does not bode well for Ukraine.”
The announcement of the package coincides with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visiting Washington. The aid includes $1 billion in arms that will be sent from US military stockpiles and $850 million in assistance in the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which allows the US to purchase weapons for Kyiv.
The Pentagon said that the new massive weapons package brings the total weapons pledged to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February to over $21 billion. According to a list released by the Pentagon, the weapons being sent from US military stockpiles, known as the presidential drawdown authority, include:
- One Patriot air defense battery and munitions
- Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
- 500 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds
- 10 120mm mortar systems and 10,000 120mm mortar rounds
- 10 82mm mortar systems
- 10 60mm mortar systems
- 37 Cougar Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles
- 120 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs)
- Six armored utility trucks
- High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs)
- Precision aerial munitions
- Over 2,700 grenade launchers and small arms
- Claymore anti-personnel munitions
- Demolition munitions and equipment
- Night vision devices and optics
- Tactical secure communications systems
- Body armor and other field equipment
The arms being provided through the USAI include:
- 45,000 152mm artillery rounds
- 20,000 122mm artillery rounds
- 50,000 122mm GRAD rockets
- 100,000 rounds of 125mm tank ammunition
- SATCOM terminals and services
- Funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment
If the US and allies aren’t careful, they are going to be in the thick of it with Russia and it concerns me, very much. This is a very tricky tightrope they are walking. WWIII has a nasty ring to it… It further concerns me that I don’t see any high level talks going on. Forgive me for sounding repetitive.
What about Putin? Does he not have any responsibility? Putin has miscalculated multiple times in this war. Hopefully he will not make a big mistake by thinking his arm forces can handled NATO.
Miscalculation. Indeed. He should’ve taken out the Victoria Nuland/Soros little government in 2014.
Highly cynical but perhaps true…
But he didn’t and now Russia is paying a heavy price for Putin’s war.
Not nearly as heavy a price as Ukraine is paying.
Kenny, Russians are known to play the long game. Let’s at least hope they will instead of pushing a button.
The rest of the world too, tanking their economy and putting their own people through hardships cause “sAnCtiOnS wOrk”
So when nukes land in our cities, your advice is to remember that it really is Putin’s fault?
Your last moments of life would be spent thinking about Putin rather than celebrating the life you had the privilege of living?
And if you would spend a couple of days lurking on pro-Russian sites, you would know that Russians by and large feel that they defend themselves from the US, or they die. They remember what happened to Iraq and to Libya. And they know that Americans would be dancing in the streets with delight and happiness if US Marines captured and killed Putin, the way we did for the leaders of Iraq and Libya.
“And if you would spend a couple of days lurking on pro-Russian sites” So you think that Anti-war is “pro-Russian” site. I hope not.
And if your buddy Putin starts a nuclear war what will you be thinking?
This is not a pro-Russian site. It is a site reacting in horror to what our government is doing with regards to foreign policy overall. I, and others, have made attempts to present the ways that Russians are thinking. It would be nice if Biden had an idea of this as well.
Earlier, the “pro-US” stance was to be 100% behind the Shock and Awe Wars with Iraq and Afghanistan and Libya. These wars changed the US narrative from “Shining City on the Hill” to “Why do they hate us so much?”. The current “pro-US” narrative that you champion threatens to do much more damage than that to the US.
When the nukes fly, I will be thinking of the people I have loved over the years, and to celebrate the life I got to live.
KH does not add anything past trolling, AFAICS.
Well, he does remind us that the US is full of abysmally-ignorant citizens who are utterly out of touch with reality and are programmed to support the vile, world-wrecking policies of the warmongers who run the show around here.
Yeah, but sometimes it is fun to respond to his … to his … words.
The weakness of him and his allies here frightens me if I think too hard about it. The US position is so weak that this is what they come up with???
Your reasoning needs some serious work… Or is it that you don’t understand what people here talk about every single day?
You are either a serious prevaricator or hopelessly out of touch with the world out there.
As for the characterization of lurker, I would say that WA nailed you there.
“And if you would spend a couple of days lurking on pro-Russian sites, you would know that Russians by and large feel…” you really can’t read well. He is telling you to go to russian outlets to see what they, the russians are thinking about all these things. How you arrived to antiwar being pro-russian from that is astounding.
Everyone has a responsibility but history does nothing if not repeat itself… Who was it that said WWIII would be the last world war?…
That was me . . . and a few zillion others. But Einstein had a more nuanced view:
Do you actually have something to say? Something based on facts on the ground, as opposed to cartoonish pop psychology? How about something related to the causes of the conflict, or pathways to ending this abominable waste of human resources?
Or are you just another fanboy of the MIC pop cartoon show?
He ‘miscalculated’ because NATO and US got involved my guy lmao
Donna, remember that timeline I told you about?
A normal healthy fun way of life for US citizens becomes less and less important in the big picture of big people.
To Patriots About Patriots. Andrei Martyanov.
Ah, a Patriot battery. One. As if that could possibly make a significant difference in this war.
Anyway, much of the damage being done by Russian aerial attacks is by drones costing no more than $50K. The PAC-3 missiles the Patriot system launches cost $3 million apiece.
This is mostly theater. Deadly Kabuki. And it’s stupid.
They will most likely be destroyed as they under the region of ukraine as what has happened with many of the “heavy hitters” given to Ukraine.
Disgusting terrorist state arming the world.