US sends new $300 million weapons package to Ukraine

The White House is still struggling to find ways to send more military aid due to the situation on the battlefield and opposition to funding from hard-line Republican figures.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the funding comes from unexpected cost savings from Pentagon contracts and will be used for artillery shells and ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

“This ammunition will keep Ukrainian guns firing for a while, but only for a short time,” Sullivan told reporters, adding that it would likely only be useful to Ukraine for a few weeks.

“This amount of weapons is not enough to meet Ukraine’s battlefield needs and it will not prevent Ukraine from running out of ammunition,” Sullivan asserted.

The new weapons package was first reported by Reuters on March 12.

The package includes air defense missiles and artillery shells, Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder said. He said providing weapons to Ukraine through savings from a Pentagon contract would likely be a one-time event and not a sustainable way to fund Kiev.

US officials have also considered options to seize about $285 billion in frozen Russian assets by 2022 and use the money to pay for Ukrainian weapons.

The announcement came as the Polish president and prime minister met with President Joe Biden at the White House late on March 12 to discuss ways to increase support for Ukraine.

“Financial assistance to Ukraine is still cheap compared to other types of assistance,” Polish President Andrzej Duda told reporters.

Using the refunded money to replenish the stockpile would open a narrow window to send more aid from existing reserves while the Biden administration waits for additional funding to be approved by lawmakers, Reuters reported.

Biden, a Democrat, has supported military aid to Ukraine since the conflict with Russia erupted in 2022, while his potential Republican opponent in the Nov. 5 U.S. election, former President Donald Trump, has taken a more isolationist stance.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally, has so far refused to hold a vote on a bill to provide an additional $60 billion to Ukraine.

The measure has already passed the Democratic-led Senate, and both Republicans and Democrats in the House have said it will pass if House Republican leaders facilitate a vote.

The heads of US intelligence agencies on March 12 pressed House members to approve additional military aid to Ukraine, saying it would not only strengthen Kiev against Russia but also act as a deterrent to China’s aggressive behavior.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 11 that the situation along the country's front with Russia was at its best in three months, with Moscow's troops no longer advancing after they captured the eastern city of Avdiivka last month.

Mr Zelensky, in an interview with French television station BFM, said Ukraine had improved its strategic position despite the lack of weapons, but suggested the situation could change again without new supplies.

He previously said Russia was preparing a new offensive against Ukraine starting in late May or in the summer. Mr Zelensky said 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since February 2022.

Reuters said that the capture of Avdiivka has created favorable conditions for Russian forces to protect the center of the Donetsk region, 20 km to the east.

Earlier this month, a top military commander said Ukrainian troops had been forced to leave several settlements near Avdiivka due to continued Russian attacks amid dwindling ammunition stocks.

The Danish Ministry of Defense said on March 12 that it will provide a new military aid package including Caesar artillery systems and ammunition to Ukraine worth about $336.6 million.

European Union countries are set to agree on a new 5 billion euro ($5.46 billion) boost to a fund to finance military shipments to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on March 12, citing officials.