US to announce a new $725 million arms package for Ukraine
The US is poised to announce the latest arms package for Ukraine drawn from US inventories, this one totaling about $725 million and including the second shipment of antipersonnel mines that President Joe Biden has authorized, according to two officials.
The 71st Presidential Drawdown Authority package, which may be announced as soon as Monday, is the largest since April, when the administration issued one valued at $1 billion. In addition to the battery-powered anti-personnel mines, which can be set to deactivate over a certain timeframe, the newest package includes antitank, counter-drone and other munitions, according to the US officials, who asked not to be identified in advance of the announcement.
Pentagon officials said last month that the Defense Department had the authority to issue about $6.8 billion from Pentagon inventories but they have increasingly acknowledged doubt about withdrawing that much from inventories before Biden leaves office in January because of the risk of undermining US readiness.
The Biden administration is pressing ahead with arms for Ukraine amid uncertainty about how President-elect Donald Trump will handle US support for Kyiv in its fight against Russia’s invasion. Trump campaigned on a promise to end the war quickly once he takes office. Retired General Keith Kellogg, Trump’s pick for special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, has raised the possibility of cutting off military aid to Kyiv. But he’s also told Fox News that Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to fire US-made ATACMS missiles inside Russia has “actually given President Trump more leverage.”
The $725 million figure for the latest drawdown was reported earlier by Reuters and the Associated Press.
Separately, the White House last week asked Congress to provide an additional $24 billion in security assistance for Ukraine as US weapons stocks are dwindling.
The White House is seeking to designate that money as “emergency spending.” The administration requested $8 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which finances longterm weapons contracts with US defense contractors. The remaining $16 billion would be used to replenish US weapons stocks. But the package depends on approval by Congress, which is considered a longshot.
