Pentagon again draws weapons from U.S. military storage for Ukraine
The Pentagon is again dipping into its own stock to provide Ukraine with up to $250 million worth of firepower, including artillery ammunition and anti-tank weapons as Kyiv fends off slow but steady Russian advances in the disputed Donetsk region.
The Defense Department on Wednesday announced the fifty-fourth transfer of U.S. weapons to Ukraine since August 2021 under presidential drawdown authority.
“These capabilities will support Ukraine’s most pressing needs to enable its forces to defend their sovereignty and independence,” Pentagon officials said in a statement. “U.S. leadership is essential to sustaining the coalition efforts of some 50 allies and partners currently supporting Ukraine.”
Despite Ukraine’s battlefield counteroffensive that began in June, the situation on the ground has changed little in recent months. Even so, Pentagon officials said security assistance for Ukraine is a smart investment for the U.S.
Many regional analysts say the assistance is vital to Ukraine‘s defense against Russian invaders, arguing that if Russia is allowed to achieve victory in Ukraine it could inspire other autocratic powers — namely China — to engage in military aggression in the Indo-Pacific, specifically against Taiwan.
“It deters potential aggression elsewhere in the world while strengthening our defense industrial base and creating highly skilled jobs for the American people,” Pentagon officials said in their statement on Wednesday.
The military hardware to be provided to Ukraine includes additional munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, known as NASAMS, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems, and more than 15 million rounds of small arms ammunition.
The U.S. has committed nearly $45 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022.
“It remains critical that Congress takes action as soon as possible in the new year on the President’s national security supplemental request to ensure that our support for Ukraine can continue,” the Defense Department said.
