New Artillery to Head to Ukraine After Biden Approves Additional $800m Aid

Amid anticipation of a new Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday used his presidential drawdown powers to approve a new package of military assistance, including new helicopters and the first provision of American artillery to Ukraine, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"I just spoke with President Zelenskyy and shared with him that my Administration is authorizing an additional $800 million in weapons, ammunition, and other security assistance to Ukraine" - Biden said in a statement.

The package, which brings the total military aid since Russian forces invaded in February to more than $2.5 billion, includes artillery systems, artillery rounds, armoured personnel carriers and unmanned coastal defence boats.

"Russia has failed in its initial objective of capturing Kyiv and failed to subjugate Ukraine, but we cannot become complacent. The United States and the international community will make Putin's war of choice a long-term strategic failure for the Kremlin" Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a separate statement.

The Pentagon, in its turn, announced that the additional $800 million package of security assistance is already "on its way to Ukraine."

"Efforts to get the newly authorized equipment and supplies to the Ukrainian military will begin immediately," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby confirmed.

"We're not going to wait," he said. "We're going to start getting these articles on the way, as well. So, we will literally start right away."

According to Kirby, the array of equipment that will be sent to Ukraine as part of the new drawdown package is broad.

Capabilities in this package include:

* 18 155mm Howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds;

* Ten AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars;

* Two AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel air surveillance radars;

* 300 Switchblade Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems;

* 500 Javelin missiles and thousands of other anti-armor systems;

* 200 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers;

* 100 Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles;

* 11 Mi-17 helicopters;

* Unmanned Coastal Defense Vessels;

* Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear protective equipment;

* Medical equipment;

* 30,000 sets of body armor and helmets;

* Over 2,000 optics and laser rangefinders;

* C-4 explosives and demolition equipment for obstacle clearing; and

* M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions configured to be consistent with the Ottawa Convention.

According to defense officials, some of the systems, like the howitzers and radars, will require additional training for Ukrainian forces not accustomed to using American military equipment.

The Pentagon is also considering ways it can train more Ukrainian forces to use Switchblade drones and other weapons given to the country, including using American troops based on NATO's eastern flank, another senior U.S. defense official said.

Some 30 other nations are also providing security assistance in various quantities, the official added.  Many nations have provided weapons and systems that the Ukrainians know how to use and are using effectively.

"I think there's a lot of things that have gone into the Ukrainians' ability thus far to fight so well and so skillfully and to really beat back the Russians on so many multiple lines of axes," the official said.

Through their ability and will, Ukrainian fighters have adapted to Russian tactics in real time, the official said. "They are skilled and courageous fighters, and you just can't take that away from them."

Another factor for Ukraine's successes is its command and control, the Pentagon official said.

An additional factor is that, over the last eight years, Ukraine has received excellent training from the United States and NATO allies like the United Kingdom and Canada, the official said. 

As for the current situation on the ground, the Pentagon continues to see movement and activity of Russian forces in Belarus and in Russia as they reassemble and stage their forces for what the DOD believes is going to be a renewed push into eastern Ukraine, the official said.

Besides troops, some of what is being staged includes helicopters and additional artillery, the official said.

The Pentagon believes that Valuyki, Belgorod and Rovenki — all in Russia just to the northeast of Ukraine — are staging and resupply areas, the official said.

Russian units are continuing to flow into Ukraine's northern Luhansk Oblast, which is part of the Donbas Region, from areas around Valuyki and Rovenki, the official said. 

Russian forces are also in Donetsk Oblast, further in the south of the Donbas Region, as well as further south in Ukraine near Mykolayiv and Mariupol, the official said.

A Russian convoy is still north of Izyum, Ukraine and there are also Russian forces to the south of that city, the official said. 

There have been around 150 Russian-manned aircraft sorties flown over the last 24 hours, with airstrikes continuing to focus on Mariupol and the joint forces operations area of Ukraine, the official said.

"We still hold Mariupol as a contested city. We still hold that Ukrainian forces are in Mariupol and they're defending it. ... We still do not believe that the Russians have taken Mariupol, but clearly, they remain focused on that," the official said.

At least 1,550 Russian missiles have been launched against Ukraine since the start of the invasion, the official mentioned.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.