The Pentagon recently announced a new batch of weaponry and other materiel for Ukraine's efforts to ward off Russia. The $200 million package was announced by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Oct. 11 ahead of a meeting with allies.
However, longer-term decisions over military support for Ukraine have been postponed in Washington, where the House is without a speaker and Republicans are still divided over extending the funding.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's counterattack is making slow progress in its efforts to divide the Russian forces that occupy nearly one-fifth of the country. Ukraine is going all out with its assault as time runs out before rains and cold weather make fighting more difficult.
On Oct. 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise visit to a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defense ministers in Brussels to request continued support for his country’s efforts to push back Russian forces.
Zelensky also briefly mentioned the attack on Israel by Hamas in comments at the start of the meeting, after which he asked for more funds to execute the war "without any pauses."
His comments seemed to reference the worries that political dysfunction in Washington might temporarily suspend American support.
"We have to put even more pressure so that the aggressor weakens faster and does not have time to adapt to our pressure and we need to make sure that Russia is heading for defeat and does not even attempt to claim anything else," said Zelensky.
Zelensky asks for more air defenses
Zelensky also requested more air defenses to help Ukrainian forces protect their cities and troops against Russian missile attacks.
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The Pentagon's new tranche of weaponry for Ukraine adds to more than $40 billion that it has already committed. It includes more artillery, additional ammunition for the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), and precision aerial munitions.
Ukrainian soldiers have been operating HIMARS since June. They are augmenting lightweight and precise weaponry that includes drones, Javelin antitank rockets and Stinger antiaircraft missiles, powered by GPS guidance and advanced microelectronics.
Ukraine’s 16 HIMARS can pick off Russian military bases, ammunition depots and infrastructure far from the front lines and it helped its troops fight off a bloody Russian advance this summer.
Since September, Ukrainians have seized back large areas of territory in the country’s east while also forcing back Russian troops in the south. Washington has also recently pledged to deliver another 18 HIMARS.
Within Kyiv’s arsenal, HIMARS offers Ukrainian forces a unique combination of range, precision and mobility that allows them to do the job that traditionally required dozens of launchers firing thousands of shells.
The weaponry also includes anti-armor systems, electronic-warfare equipment, missiles, small arms and more than 16 million rounds of small-arms ammunition. (Related: WW3 GUARANTEED: NATO summit unveils plan to accelerate Ukraine membership.)
Other allies have also made recent pledges. For example, Germany committed to new air defense systems and other equipment in a package worth more than $1 billion.
The U.K. also promised that it would send more than $100 million, along with mine-clearing equipment and air-defense capabilities.
The Pentagon has an estimated $5.2 billion left in an account for Ukraine. However, Biden administration officials shared that they only have about two more months of funding for Ukraine left as part of their plea to Congress to pass a new Ukraine funding bill.
In a statement accompanying the latest package of weaponry, the Pentagon announced that security assistance for Ukraine is a smart investment in America's national security.
"It helps to prevent a larger conflict in the region and deter potential aggression elsewhere while strengthening our defense industrial base and creating highly skilled jobs for the American people," continued the statement.
The U.S. has also pledged weaponry and other support for Israel as it struggled with the sudden attack on Oct. 7 by Hamas.
U.S. officials also claimed that they could support Israel while also assisting and monitoring the events in Ukraine. Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security adviser, said officials "firmly reject the notion that the United States of America cannot at once support the freedom-loving people of Ukraine and support the state of Israel."
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