US Announces $1.7 Billion Weapons Package for Ukraine

The announcement comes as Russia is making steady gains in the Donbas

The Pentagon announced on Friday that it was providing Ukraine with a new weapons package worth $1.7 billion, which includes munitions for air defense systems, ammunition for HIMARS rocket systems, artillery shells, and other types of equipment.

The package includes $1.5 billion that’s being provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). The USAI allows the US to purchase weapons for Ukraine, which means it could take months or years before the equipment is delivered.

The other $200 million uses the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows President Biden to ship weapons to Ukraine directly from Pentagon stockpiles. The announcement came a few days after the Pentagon said it found an “accounting error” that overvalued previous weapons sent to Ukraine, freeing up another $2 billion to spend on the proxy war.

The new US military aid comes as Russian forces are making steady gains in the east and are closing in on the Donestk city of Pokrovsk.

According to the Pentagon, the new weapons package includes:

  • Munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS)
  • Short- and medium-range air defense munitions
  • RIM-7 missiles for air defense
  • Electronic Warfare equipment
  • Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
  • 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds
  • 120mm mortar rounds
  • Precision aerial munitions
  • Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles
  • Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems
  • Small arms
  • Explosives material and demolitions equipment and munitions
  • Secure communications systems
  • Commercial satellite imagery services
  • Spare parts, maintenance and sustainment support, and other ancillary equipment

The Pentagon also released a fact sheet on Monday that said the Biden administration has pledged more than $55.4 billion in military equipment for Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.

The funds for the new weapons package are being pulled from the $61 billion in Ukraine spending that was included in the $95 billion foreign military aid bill President Biden signed into law in April. Adding up the $61 billion with previous spending brings the total cost of the proxy war since February 2022 to about $186 billion.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.