U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday ahead of the announcement, which according to the Pentagon includes the supply of 18 shells, 36,000 shell cartridges and two systems to Ukraine. coastal defense Harpoon.
“I informed President Zelensky that the United States is providing $ 1 billion more in security assistance to Ukraine, including additional artillery and coastal defense weapons, as well as ammunition for artillery and advanced rocket systems that Ukrainians need to support their defensive operations in the Donbas, “Biden said in a statement after the call. “We also talked about Secretary Austin’s efforts in Brussels today to coordinate additional international support for the Ukrainian armed forces.”
Speaking in Brussels, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the United States and Ukraine were “working continuously to meet Ukraine’s demands for new capabilities, especially its need for long-range fire.” range, shielding and coastal defense “.
The latest package of weapons comes as the Ukrainian army is burning its Soviet-era ammunition, while Ukrainian officials have called on the West to send additional heavy weapons as the war with Russia progresses. Western military and intelligence officials believe the war is at a critical stage that could determine the long-term outcome of the conflict, while Russia has amassed a significant artillery advantage around two key cities in the world. is from Ukraine.
A Pentagon spokesman said the United States had now pledged more than $ 5 billion in security aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February. The latest weapons range includes ammunition for high-mobility artillery rocket systems, or HIMARS, and tactical vehicles “to retrieve equipment,” as well as thousands of safe radios and thousands of night-vision devices, thermal visors. and “other optics,” the Pentagon said. .
The package is expected to include weapons and supplies that can be shipped quickly from existing U.S. reserves, as well as issuing new long-term supply contracts for
The United States will also provide $ 225 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, which Biden said will be used to “provide drinking water, critical medical supplies and health care, food, shelter and cash for families to buy essentials.”
Austin and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Mark Milley, were in Brussels on Wednesday for a meeting with a working group from about 50 countries to discuss the crisis.
“No weapon system is a silver bullet”
The United States has sent a number of arms shipments to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February, increasing the capabilities it has provided to the Ukrainian military as the conflict continues. Ukrainian officials, however, have been pushing for more heavy weapons and have expressed frustration that ammunition appears to be slowly seeping into the fight.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Tuesday that the country had only received 10% of the military assistance that Kyiv had requested from the West.
“No matter how hard we try, no matter how professional our army may be, without the help of our Western partners, Ukraine will not be able to win this war,” Mailar said.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Milley rejected the idea that Ukraine was not getting what it needed, saying it was in regular contact with its Ukrainian counterpart.
“The speed with which we have provided security assistance is unmatched,” Milley said. “From the moment the applications are validated and authorized, it is only a matter of days until the requirement is obtained, sent and in the hands of the Ukrainians. In some cases, it may take a week, but most of the time it is measured in days “.
Milley added that “in war, no weapon system is a silver bullet, ever.”
“So no weapon system, a singular weapon system ever, quote without quotes changes the balance,” Milley said.
If Ukrainians properly use the weapons systems provided by the U.S. and other allies, Milley said, “They should be able to eliminate a significant amount of targets.”
Russian control of eastern Ukraine is not “inevitable,” Milley says
Milley said that although Russian forces outnumber and outnumber Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region, the Russian consolidation of its control in eastern Ukraine “was not a done deal.”
“There are no inevitability in the war. War makes many, many turns. So I wouldn’t say it’s an inevitability,” he said, before acknowledging that “the numbers clearly favor the Russians.”
Milley said the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk “is probably three-quarters occupied by Russian forces,” but that “Ukrainians are fighting them street by street, house by house.”
Milley also described the current phase of the war as a “very severe battle of attrition, almost similar to World War I”, and noted how Russian progress in the region has been “very slow, a very hard effort”.
“The Russians have had a lot of problems. They have command and control problems, logistics problems. They have morale problems, leadership problems and a variety of other problems,” Milley said. “And the Russians have suffered a lot of casualties.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Jennifer Hansler, Michael Conte, Betsy Klein, Katie Bo Lillis, Natasha Bertrand and Yulia Kesaiev contributed to the report.