President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he has approved another $800 million in military aid for Ukraine, bringing the total in U.S. security assistance pledged to the country to roughly $2.5 billion since the Russian invasion in February, and $3.2 billion since Biden took office.
“This new package of assistance will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already provided and new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine,” Biden said in a statement. “These new capabilities include artillery systems, artillery rounds, and armored personnel carriers. I have also approved the transfer of additional helicopters.”
The aid will reportedly include 11 Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters that were originally intended for Afghanistan, 18 howitzers, 300 armored vehicles, 500 Javelin missiles and 40,000 artillery rounds.
In addition to providing direct aid, Biden said the U.S. would help facilitate the transfer of military aid from other countries to Ukraine.
Biden noted that the Ukrainian military has used the military equipment the U.S. has already provided to “devastating effect” against Russian forces. In a conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden assured the Ukrainian leader that the U.S. would continue to support his country.
Moving quickly: U.S. officials said that they wanted to act in time to help Ukraine defend itself against a Russian offensive that’s expected to come in the next few days or weeks.
“There’s a sense of urgency,” a defense official said Wednesday, according to Defense One. “Clearly we understand as the Russians begin to refocus their efforts on the Donbas and in the south, that they are prepared to concentrate the force and the combat power they have available to them that time is of the essence.”
The defense official said that the new weapons could start reaching Ukrainian hands within 48 hours.
