White House on new aid package for Ukraine: It will suffice for couple of weeks
Photo: National Security Advisor to the US President Jake Sullivan (Getty Images)
The ammunition from the new aid package from the United States will only suffice for Ukrainian forces for a couple of weeks, said White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
Sullivan said the package would only provide Ukraine enough ammunition to last weeks, and perhaps only “a couple of weeks” and will “not prevent Ukraine from running out of ammunition in the weeks to come.”
"It goes without saying, this package does not displace and should not delay the critical need to pass the bipartisan national security bill," Sullivan said.
It is noted that the Pentagon has about $4 billion remaining to send weapons and equipment to Ukraine from supplies received directly from the Department of Defense.
However, the Pentagon was initially reluctant to use this funding as there was no money left in the US for replenishing supplies.
According to Sullivan, the new package became possible "because of unanticipated cost savings in contracts that DOD negotiated to replace equipment we’ve already sent to Ukraine through previous drawdowns."
Meanwhile, a senior US defense official told CNN that such savings are the result of "good negotiations" and "allocating funding to different things."
The official provided an example of the possibility of purchasing 25mm ammunition at a lower price than initially expected after negotiations with the supplier.
This savings provided the Pentagon with an additional $300 million for funding additional assistance to Ukraine.
However, the official made it clear that this is not a sustainable long-term solution for providing Ukraine with much-needed weaponry, as Republican leaders in the House continue to refuse to bring to a vote a bill that would provide additional military assistance.
"This is a bit of an ad-hoc or one time shot. We don’t know if or when future savings will come in. And we certainly can’t count on this as a way of doing business. We weren’t broke at the time, but now we are," the official added.
US assistance to Ukraine
For several months now, the US Congress has been unable to approve new funding for assistance to Ukraine to continue supplying weapons and more. This situation stems from a disagreement between Republicans and Democrats over border security funding, which was included in the aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
Recently, the Senate passed a separate bill with funds for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. For it to take effect, the document still needs approval from the House of Representatives and the president's signature.
As reported by CNN, the House of Representatives may vote on financial assistance to Ukraine at the end of March or in April.
Today, on March 12, the administration of the US president announced the allocation of a new $300 million military aid package to Ukraine. This is the first military aid package to Ukraine from the US since December 2023.
According to White House spokesperson Jake Sullivan, the new military aid package to Ukraine will include artillery shells and GMLRS missiles for HIMARS, among other things.
At the same time, the White House has called on the US Congress to swiftly pass legislation allocating funding to support Ukraine. Sullivan reiterated President Joe Biden's words that "time is running out," and assistance to Ukraine is needed right now.
