Russia-Ukraine War: U.S. readies $2.4 Ukraine aid package; Zelensky lobbying.
According to two U.S. officials who were briefed on this topic and spoke to the media about it, the United States is currently preparing more than $2 billion worth of military assistance for Ukraine, which is expected to include longer-range rockets for the first time in addition to other munitions and weaponry.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, stated on Tuesday that his country is putting new changes in place as it gears up for a conference with top E.U. officials at the end of the week. In his speech, Zelenskyy said that the reforms “would change social, legal, and political life in a big way and make it more open, honest, and effective. But these details won’t come out right away, “He said.
With the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other high-ranking E.U. officials this coming Friday, hopes are high in Kyiv that Ukraine’s application to join the E.U. will be moving forward shortly. According to the officials, the aid announcement might happen as soon as this week. Additionally, precision-guided bombs, Javelin anti-tank weapons, and support equipment for Patriot air defence systems are anticipated, they noted.
An anonymous source has speculated that the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), a fund that allows the Joe Biden administration to buy weapons from the private sector rather than from U.S. armaments stocks, will contribute to the projected $1.725 billion package.
Reports have surfaced suggesting that new military aid funds could be announced as soon as this week. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has told reporters that he plans to discuss this issue with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. Biden said, “We’re going to chat.,” in response to a question about if he had spoken with Zelenskyy and what he planned to tell him about potential requests for help.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration is putting a lot of pressure on some of Ukraine’s neighbours and Western allies to provide fighter jets after eventually persuading NATO nations to deliver contemporary combat tanks. After meeting with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in Paris, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu declared that providing Kyiv with fighter aircraft was “not taboo.”
However, they reiterated their willingness to continue providing military assistance to Ukraine, which Russian forces invaded in February 2022 as part of what Moscow called a “special military operation” to defend Russian security and Russian speakers. The U.S. has rejected the concept, and the U.K. Cities are in ruins; millions of people have been displaced, and many civilians have died in the invasion.
More recently, Russia has described the conflict as a struggle against what it claims to be an aggressive and expansionist NATO military alliance led by the United States. Even though Moscow has criticised recent Western arms commitments as provocations, the West has so far been reluctant to provide weapons that might be used to carry out an attack deep within Russia out of fear of starting a more serious conflict.
Approximately $27.2 billion in military aid has been delivered to Ukraine by the United States since Russia’s invasion, and another $2.2 billion is now being put together. It is envisaged that this will provide Kyiv with longer-range rockets for the first time, in addition to other ammunition and arms.
On Tuesday, two American individuals who know the situation told the media that Washington is getting ready to send Kyiv a $2.2 billion military aid package that will probably include longer-range rockets and other ammunition and munitions.
The USAI funding would be used to buy a new weapon; the Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) by Boeing Co., which can travel up to 94 miles before reloading (150 km). Ukraine’s requests for the 185-mile (297-km) range the United States denied ATACMS missile.
The GLSDB glide bomb’s more excellent range may enable Ukraine to reach previously inaccessible targets and aid it in pressing counterattacks by upsetting Russia’s defences further. The media initially covered the proposal from Boeing to field GLSDB for Ukraine in November. The GLSDB was predicted to arrive in Ukraine by spring at the time.
SAAB AB and Boeing collaborate to create GLSDB. It combines the M26 rocket motor and the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), frequently found in U.S. inventory. According to the SAAB website, GLSDB is GPS-guided, has some electronic jamming resistance, is operable in any weather, and may be applied to armoured vehicles. When dropped from an aircraft, the GBU-39, which serves as the GLSDB’s warhead, can glide more than 100 kilometres and strike targets as tiny as 3 feet (1 metre) in diameter thanks to its small, folding wings.
According to one of the individuals, the USAI funding would also be used to purchase additional HAWK air defence components, counter-drone systems, counter artillery and air observation radars, communications equipment, PUMA drones, and spare parts for effective systems like Patriot and Bradley. Another ally had also supplied a sizeable amount of medical equipment, enough to outfit three field hospitals, the officer continued.
The White House chose not to respond. Until the president signs them, aid packages’ contents and size are subject to change. The USAI and Presidential Drawdown Authority funds were expected to contribute more than $400 million. The Presidential Drawdown Authority allows the president to withdraw from current U.S. stocks in an emergency.
It was anticipated that this assistance would consist of guided multiple launch rocket systems (GMLRS), ammunition, and mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs). U.S. security assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022 has totalled around $27.2 billion. Russia refers to the invasion as a “special operation.”
Edited by Prakriti Arora
