US Announces $250 Million Arms Package for Ukraine

The Biden administration announced a new $250 million weapons package for Ukraine that the White House said will be the last until Congress approves new spending for the proxy war.

The arms package uses the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the US to ship weapons straight from US military stockpiles. The Pentagon still has over $4.1 billion in PDA funds for Ukraine but lacks the funds to replenish the arms as US stockpiles have been significantly depleted.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said last week that once the new arms package was announced, “We will have no more replenishment authority available to us, and we’re going to need Congress to act without delay.”

According to the Pentagon, the arms in the $250 million package include:

• Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS)
• Stinger anti-aircraft missiles
• Air defense system components
• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
• 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds
• Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles
• Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems
• More than 15 million rounds of small arms ammunition
• Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing
• Spare parts, medical equipment, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment 

The Pentagon also released a fact sheet that said the US has provided or pledged over $44.2 billion in military equipment for Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. Including other types of aid, the US has spent a total of $113 billion on the proxy war, and the Biden administration is seeking an additional $61 billion to fund the conflict for another year.