USA Today
US military aid to Ukraine surpasses $3 billion under Biden. Here’s what’s been provided
Joey Garrison, USA TODAY – April 17, 2022
WASHINGTON – More than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems. About 5,500 Javelin missiles. More than 7,000 small arms. And 50 million rounds of ammunition.
Vowing to “stand with Ukraine,” President Joe Biden and his administration have committed nearly $2.6 billion in U.S. military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion Feb. 24, supplying a range of weapons for Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression.
The latest round, $800 million, was authorized Wednesday. Since August, nearly $2.8 billion has been specifically allocated for military assistance, but the White House said the total amount of aid is closer to $3.2 billion since Biden took office. That would include money from a $13.6 budget bill Biden signed in March that contained money to arm Ukrainians.
There’s also been indirect assistance to allies such as a Patriot missile system the United States repositioned to Slovakia after its government agreed to supply an S-300 air defense system to Ukraine.
“We won’t be able to advertise every piece of security we give because our allies and partners are supplying to Ukraine through us,” Biden said last week, “but advanced weapons and ammunition are flowing in every single day.”
Most of the assistance has been authorized through the Foreign Assistance Act. Biden has rebuffed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s calls to implement a “no-fly” zone over Ukraine and a proposal from Poland to send fighter jets to a U.S. air base in Germany to facilitate their transfer to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly pushed Western allies, particularly the United States, to provide more aid amid allegations that Russian President Vladimir Putin directed war crimes and genocide.
“Without additional weapons, this war will turn into an endless bloodbath that will spread misery, suffering and destruction. Mariupol, Bucha, Kramatorsk – the list goes on,” Zelenskyy tweeted this week. “No one will stop Russia except Ukraine with heavy weapons.” He ended with the hashtag “#ArmUkraineNow.”
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Missiles, drones, helicopters and more: The full scale of military aid
According to the Pentagon, the United States has provided the following assistance to Ukraine:
- More than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems.
- More than 5,500 Javelin anti-armor systems.
- More than 14,000 other anti-armor systems.
- More than 700 Switchblade Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems.
- 18 155mm Howitzers (long-run cannons) and 40,000 155mm artillery rounds.
- 11 Mi-17 helicopters.
- Hundreds of Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles.
- 200 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers.
- More than 7,000 small arms.
- More than 50 million rounds of ammunition.
- 75,000 sets of body armor and helmets.
- Laser-guided rocket systems.
- Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems.
- Unmanned coastal defense vessels.
- 14 counter-artillery radars.
- Four counter-mortar radars.
- Two air surveillance radars.
- M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions.
- C-4 explosives and demolition equipment for obstacle clearing.
- Tactical secure communication systems.
- Night-vision devices, thermal imagery systems, optics and laser range finders.
- Commercial satellite imagery services.
- Explosive ordnance disposal protective gear.
- Chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear protective equipment.
- Medical supplies and first aid kits.
Here’s a timeline of Biden’s infusion of aid:
April 13 – $800 million
The Biden administration authorized $800 million in additional security assistance to Ukraine after a call between Biden and Zelenskyy. Russia concentrates attacks in the eastern Donbas region after retreating from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
New weapons and machinery – 18 155mm Howitzers (long-range cannons), 40,000 artillery rounds and 200 M113 armored personnel carriers – are meant to expand Ukraine’s military capabilities for a drawn-out fight. The new round of aid provided 500 Javelin missiles and anti-armor systems, adding to the supply the United States has already provided.
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The package includes 10 AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars, two AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel air surveillance radars, 300 switchblade tactical unmanned aerial systems, 11 helicopters and 100 armored multipurpose vehicles. Other equipment included “unmanned coastal defense vessels,” though the Department of Defense did not elaborate.
April 6 – $100 million
Biden authorized $100 million in security assistance to support Ukraine, providing Javelin missiles for Ukrainian forces.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Javelin anti-armor systems are an “urgent Ukraine need,” and they’ve been used effectively against Russian forces.
“We know they’re using them,” he said. “You can see the evidence for yourself when you look at the videos and the images on TV of these burnt-out tanks and burnt-out trucks and armored personnel carriers.”
April 1 – $300 million
The Biden administration authorized $300 million in aid to Ukraine to fill many of the requests Zelenskyy has made. The package came via the Defense Department’s Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative – which involves new contracts rather than the U.S. military’s stocks.
April 1 – $300 million
The Biden administration authorized $300 million in aid to Ukraine to fill many of the requests Zelenskyy has made. The package came via the Defense Department’s Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative – which involves new contracts rather than the U.S. military’s stocks.
The package included laser-guided rocket systems, armed drones, armored vehicles, machine guns, commercial satellite imagery services, medical supplies, night-vision devices, thermal imagery systems and tactical secure communication systems.
March 16 – $800 million
Biden authorized $800 million in military aid for Ukraine, hours after Zelenskyy made an impassioned appeal for help during a virtual address to U.S. Congress. It marked the single-largest military funding provision at the time, later matched by the infusion of aid on April 13.
The package included 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 2,000 Javelin missiles, 1,000 light anti-armor weapons, 6,000 AT-4 anti-armor systems, 100 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems, 100 grenade launchers, 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns, 400 shotguns and 25,000 sets of body armor and helmets.
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March 12 – $200 million
A little more than two weeks into Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Biden administration authorized $200 million for Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the aid would help Ukraine “meet the armored, airborne and other threats it is facing.”
The package included an assortment of small arms, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, as well as military services, education and training.
Feb. 26 – $350 million
The infusion of U.S. military aid came two days after Russia’s invasion: $350 million toward Javelin missiles, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, small arms and ammunition.
“It is another clear signal that the United States stands with the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereign, courageous and proud nation,” Blinken said about 48 hours after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
December – $200 million
As the White House ramped up warnings about a Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration confirmed on Jan. 19 that it authorized $200 million in military aid in late December.
The package, which came as Moscow military forces were building up on the Ukraine border, included Javelin and other anti-armor systems, grenade launchers, munitions, and nonlethal equipment. It arrived in Ukraine on Jan. 25.
August – $60 million
Coinciding with a White House meeting between Biden and Zelenskyy, the White House committed $60 million in military aid to Ukraine on Aug. 31 as Russia increased its military presence around Ukraine.
The package included Javelin anti-armor systems and other lethal and nonlethal defense capabilities.
“Russia’s buildup along the Ukrainian border has highlighted capability shortfalls in the Ukrainian military’s ability to defend against a Russian incursion,” the White House said in a notification to Congress. “Ukraine’s significant capability gaps must be urgently addressed to reinforce deterrence in light of the current Russian threat.”
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$13.6 billion in humanitarian, security aid in budget bill
Biden signed a $1.5 trillion government spending bill March 15 that included $13.6 billion in humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine.
The White House said the funds would “augment” other aid to provide defense equipment for Ukraine, humanitarian assistance and U.S. troop deployments to neighboring countries.
About half the $13.6 billion was to arm Ukraine and cover the Pentagon’s costs for sending U.S. troops to surrounding Eastern European nations. The remainder went toward humanitarian and economic assistance, strengthening regional allies’ defenses and protecting their energy supplies and cybersecurity needs.