The Pentagon will again dip into its stock of military hardware to send $500 million worth of firepower to Ukraine, including additional ammunition for the game-changing High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Patriot missiles, tank rounds and grenade launchers.
On Tuesday, the Defense Department announced the 35th drawdown of equipment from U.S. military inventories for Ukraine since August 2021. The Biden administration also promised Kyiv $2.1 billion worth of artillery and tank ammunition, rockets and anti-armor systems through Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the ammunition is crucial for helping Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield.
“This new security assistance will allow Ukraine to continue to bravely defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war,” Mr. Blinken said. “Russia alone could end its war today. Until Russia does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
General Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Tuesday about the conflict there. He and Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander in chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, discussed the “unprovoked and ongoing Russian invasion” and exchanged perspectives and assessments, said Col. Dave Butler, a spokesman for Gen. Milley.
“The chairman reaffirmed unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said Col. Butler.
The assistance package for Ukraine was announced following Finland’s formal accession into NATO. Finland, which shares a border with Russia stretching almost 900 miles, will be a strategic asset to NATO, said Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank.
“The addition of Finland’s military capabilities to the defensive alliance creates valuable dilemmas that Russian leaders and military planners contemplating aggression will have to consider, potentially making such aggression less likely,” Mr. Bowman said.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Democrat, helped pass a resolution last year to approve Finland’s entry into NATO. In a statement Tuesday, the combat veteran said it sends a “clear, resounding message that the free world remains united in support of Ukraine.”
“Moving forward, I urge our NATO allies to allow Sweden to join the alliance as a full member of NATO soon,” Ms. Duckworth said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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