World News
Biden Approves $2 Billion Military Aid Package for Ukraine
Clear Facts
- The Biden administration announced a new military aid package to Ukraine worth over $2 billion.
- The package includes weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and air defense systems, among other items.
- This aid package comes as Ukrainian officials call for more support from Western allies, including F-16 fighter jets and longer-range missiles.
The Biden administration announced on Friday that it would provide a new military aid package to Ukraine worth over $2 billion. Specifically, the package includes up to $425 million of weapons from U.S. stockpiles, while the remaining $1.75 billion will come from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which means the U.S. government pays for defense companies to build the weapons that will ultimately then go to Ukraine. This brings the total U.S. military assistance to more than $29 billion since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago.
The package includes additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rockets Systems, additional 155mm artillery rounds, additional 120mm mortar rounds, 190 heavy machine guns, 181 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, 250 javelin anti-armor systems, and 2,000 anti-armor rockets, among other items. Through the USAI program, the United States agreed to provide Ukraine with two HAWK air defense firing units, anti-aircraft guns and ammunition, equipment to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine’s air defense systems, air defense generators, counter-unmanned aerial systems, four air surveillance radars, and 20 counter-mortar radars, among other weapons.
The aid package also includes longer-range missiles for the first time, specifically the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), though it will not include the ATACMS missiles that have a much longer range. The GLSDB, a guided missile, has a range of roughly 90 miles, while the ATACMS missiles have a range of roughly 200 miles, according to Reuters.
This is the first aid package since President Joe Biden reversed his position and agreed to provide Ukraine with 31 M1A2 Abrams tanks, effectively ending a standoff with Germany about whether to provide tanks. German government officials reportedly said they would not provide their Leopard 2 tanks, or allow any European country that possesses them, to give them to Ukraine unless Biden also gave them the tanks, even as defense officials said the maintenance required made them not an ideal armored vehicle for Ukraine’s needs.
Following Biden’s promise for tanks, Ukrainian officials reiterated their calls for Western allies to provide them with F-16 fighter jets and longer-range missiles. The United Kingdom, the U.S., and Germany have also said they will not provide Ukraine with fighter jets, while French President Emmanuel Macron said, “Nothing is off-limits in principle.”
Officials from Ukraine and Western countries have spoken about the likelihood of renewed Russian offensives in the coming weeks as the conditions get better. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov revealed earlier this week that Ukrainian intelligence estimated that Russia had gathered roughly 500,000 fresh troops on Ukraine’s borders, which Russia would use in a major new offensive by the end of the month.
Clear Thoughts (op-ed)
The Biden administration’s recent announcement of a $2 billion military aid package to Ukraine may seem like a strong show of support for our Eastern European ally. However, this move raises questions about the true intentions behind this aid.
Are we genuinely committed to helping Ukraine defend itself, or is this just another political move to appease domestic audiences and project strength against Russia?
The aid package includes a range of weaponry and equipment, but it falls short of providing Ukraine with the F-16 fighter jets and longer-range missiles they’ve requested. This half-measure suggests that we’re not fully committed to helping Ukraine stand strong against Russian aggression.
If we truly want to support Ukraine, we must provide them with the necessary resources and capabilities to effectively defend their sovereignty. Otherwise, we risk prolonging this conflict and potentially escalating an already tense situation.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Lip
February 17, 2024 at 7:02 am
Why are we squandering our treasure there?
RM Orsini
February 17, 2024 at 7:06 am
It’s time to negotiate a settlement with Russia and end all this aid to Ukraine. America needs to focus on our own cities and people’s needs before we prioritize any more foreign aid. Too much of that aid is laundered back to the various crime families and nations. Peace should become the goal for every nation and elimination of the WEF the priority.
CandygramForMongo
February 17, 2024 at 7:29 am
So,basically, Xiden the grifter strengthened his own Ukrainian portfolio. Just more theft going from the American taxpayers pockets to Jozo the phucking clown and his loser cohorts pockets. Time to bring up the TREASON charges…..and a military tribunal. He’s too stupid to remember bringing classified documents home for 50 years…..but is smart enough to the biggest racketeering scheme. Are we phucking stupid??????
Kent Sinclair
February 17, 2024 at 7:32 am
This whole thing of supporting Ukraine is really about protecting Biden’s cash cow and nothing more.
CandygramForMongo
February 17, 2024 at 7:32 am
REAL AMERICAN TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO FUND A FAKE WAR! QUID PRO JOE…..THE COST OF DOING BURISMA BUSINESS!!!!
Paul MAJORSKY
February 17, 2024 at 7:39 am
Not one peny to Ukraine until our southern border is secure and the 12 million ilklegals deported
Dr. Caligary
February 17, 2024 at 9:07 am
So we have sent $29 billion USD to an area that may never be at peace. Then when the confrontation ceases how much is Ukraine going to ask to rebuild the infrastructure? At some point in the future a line must be drawn restricting any additional funds to continue the status quo!
Joseph Talamini
February 17, 2024 at 9:22 am
Don’t give Ukraine a damn thing demand everything back now secure our borders home our homeless protect our veterans take care of American citizens first
paul
February 17, 2024 at 9:55 am
The back stabbers are in full swing these days. We need to secure our borders and provide for our own . Ole Mitch and the democrats are besties.
Sandy
February 17, 2024 at 11:02 am
Totally Ridiculous! Let these other countries fight their own wars!
Stop giving money to other countries! I will never cast a vote for any of them ever!
Not a sycophant
February 17, 2024 at 1:05 pm
A majority of the commenters remind me of many Americans after World War I, and before World War II, heads in the ground.
If America has any influence in the world, eventually, it will be involved in problems caused oceans away from us. America as the most powerful nation on earth has the necessity of maintaining it, or losing it. There are others who want that power.
Many of our allies are in Europe and agree that Russian expansion by force is a danger. Danger to our allies in the long run if not now is a danger to America. A refusal to aid Ukraine is a sign that America will eventually refuse to aid Europe.
Ukraine is fighting invasion on its own with no US troops needed to prevent collapse of a country at odds with its government. Ukraine needs our aid and deserves it. After the cut and run experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, America needs to show that it will stand by a nation it chooses to assist.
If people want to be of assistance to a dictator who kills his political opposition, steals from his people, has no consideration for the lives of his military, etc; I won’t be able to convince them otherwise. I’ll just wonder if their stated justifications are plausible excuses or motivated by politics.
Les
February 18, 2024 at 12:08 pm
MR. Ramirez, the invasion started nearly 2 years ago, not the one year stated in your article.
to the naysayers, if we give Ukraine to Russia, then Russia becomes the bread basket of europe and africa as Ukraine has the most fertile soil in large quantity in Europe, Ukraine has a huge deposit of titanium that would go to Russia, along with coal, gas and oil. If we dont stop a tyrant from taking Ukraine, what will be his
next country and would we give that up and disregard our treaty with NATO.
stuman15
February 18, 2024 at 3:27 pm
This is a Europe problem. Why are we wasting money for the Ukraine? OUr borders are wide open, crime is rampant, our homeless population is growing and Biden does not gibe a damn about the USA. Biden give money and aid to Ukraine without congressional approval. That and the border are grounds for impeachment.
Randy
March 13, 2024 at 8:13 am
If we allow Russia to win this cold-blooded massacre they’ve caused by attacking a sovereign nation of Ukraine it’s a green light for both Putin and Xi to continue attacks to expand their regimes Hitler-style, and both will do exactly that. Putin must be stop and him personally killed. Once it’s over and Ukraine is still in place it will be a signal to the world that this aggression will not be rewarded. Help Ukraine to win this war and KILL PUTIN before he can commit more atrocities.
Ralph Pidgeon
April 3, 2024 at 6:57 pm
Perhaps you should add this to your billboard message. ” If a person were to spend one million dollars, non stop, it would take 411 YEARS to spend one trillion dollars.
Camille Gilliam
April 20, 2024 at 12:52 pm
I don’t think that is a picture of Joe. His hair looks to thick from other pictures I’ve seen. I’m a hair stylist an I can see such things.