White House Announces New Arms Package to Ukrainian Forces

Following the disclosure of sensitive Pentagon documents that showed a worrying shortfall in Ukrainian military strength, the White House said on Wednesday that it will deliver $325 million in additional military aid to Ukraine. The heavy artillery and low munitions stocks in Ukraine will be fully replenished by this help.

According to reports, the supplies for this military package will be taken directly from the US Department of Defense’s stockpiles. For the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) that Washington has given to Kiev, artillery will be among the supplies. 

The Ukrainian forces’ efforts to repel the Russian invasion and even launch offensive attacks against Russian positions have been greatly aided by these missiles.

The White House will also send AT4 missiles, 105 mm and 155 mm heavy artillery rounds, anti-tank TOW rockets, anti-tank mines, unspecified aerial munitions, port and harbor security equipment, obstacle-clearing demolition munitions, and various other pieces of field gear. 

In addition, the Biden administration will give over ten million rounds of small weapons ammunition. This comes after reports that the Ukrainian military had been complaining about a severe shortage that was impacting its effectiveness on the front lines.

This fresh military support comes before Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Germany’s Ramstein Air Base on Friday. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a coalition of 54 nations, will convene here to talk about supplying Ukrainian soldiers with weaponry and military support.

In a letter to the nation’s allies, Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine’s defense minister, reportedly stated that his country’s soldiers needed 250,000 artillery shells each month to alter the direction of the conflict.

Several media outlets have reported that Ukrainian forces are preparing to launch a counteroffensive against the Russian military. Experts believe this is essential to ejecting the Russian military from the occupied territories, which include the Crimean Peninsula and the eastern and southeastern parts of the country.