The speech was Biden’s first public event dedicated to the war in weeks and came just before he left Washington for a two-day pivot in the Pacific Northwest. While the issue has hogged his schedule, Biden’s advisers have hoped to focus on domestic issues like rising costs and gas prices.
Still, Biden made it clear that neither he nor his allies would back down in their attempts to punish Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Putin is banking on us losing interest,” Biden said. “Once again we will prove him wrong.”
In his speech, Biden tried to add momentum to Ukraine’s struggle by saying that Putin will “never succeed in dominating and occupying all of Ukraine.”
Still, his pending request to Congress for additional funds was a signal that he doesn’t think the conflict will end anytime soon. And the government’s announcement that it would take in tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees on humanitarian grounds was a sign that the White House was planning for the future aftermath of the Russian war.
Biden announced the new supplies — including heavy artillery and 144,000 rounds of ammunition — in a White House speech intended to update Americans on the state of the conflict, which is nearing its second month and encroaching on what U.S. Officials have said it could be a hell of a new phase. He also said Russian ships would be banned from American ports.
Biden said Russia has “refocused” its campaign to seize new territories in eastern Ukraine, making the influx of Western military aid imperative.
“We are now at a critical window in which they will … set the stage for the next phase of this war,” Biden said of Russia’s military plans. “The United States and our allies and partners are moving as quickly as possible to continue to supply Ukraine…the weapons they need, the equipment they need, their armed forces need to defend their nation.”
The new military aid package the president has announced totals around $800 million after a similarly large measure was taken earlier this month. If approved, the latest package would mean that the US has pledged approximately $3.4 billion in aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
This would be the President’s last draw until Congress approves more money for arms to Ukraine. In a presidential drawdown, the Department of Defense pulls weapons and equipment from US inventories to ship to Ukraine instead of buying new weapons from manufacturers.
Biden said he will submit a formal motion to Congress next week to approve a second additional funding package to support Ukraine, adding he expects Congress to “act and act quickly.”
“To sustain Ukraine for the duration of this fight, I must submit an additional budget request to Congress next week to maintain the uninterrupted flow of arms and ammunition to the brave Ukrainian fighters and to continue providing economic assistance to the Ukrainian people,” Biden said .
Speaking about the importance of helping Ukraine, Biden paraphrased a famous quote from former President Theodore Roosevelt, telling reporters, “Sometimes we speak softly and wear a big javelin because we send a lot of them too.” He was referring to one Anti-tank missile provided by the US to the Ukrainian military.
In his White House speech, Biden updated Americans on US efforts to support the people of Ukraine and unveiled the new aid package that has been finalized in recent days. Earlier in the day, Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, and the president stopped by.
“We had a good discussion,” Biden said.
Biden also announced that the US would ban Russian-linked ships from American ports. While Russian shipping accounts for a relatively small percentage of total U.S. port activity, the move is consistent with a ban on Russian aircraft in U.S. airspace that the Biden administration previously announced.
“No ship flying the Russian flag or owned or operated by Russian interests may dock in the United States port or reach our shores,” Biden said.
He said it was “another crucial step” that the US, along with its allies in Canada and Europe, was taking “to deny Russia the benefits of the international economic system that it has enjoyed so much in the past.”
The latest package would come a week after the Biden administration approved another $800 million security package that included artillery and anti-artillery radars for the first time since the Russian invasion began.
The Biden administration is working to get military aid to Ukraine as soon as possible because it believes the war is at a critical juncture and continued US aid could make a difference if Russia’s more aggressive attack on the Eastern Ukraine is increasing.
The more open terrain in this region favors the use of artillery and long-range systems, which is why the administration places great emphasis on rapidly deploying these types of systems as fighting shifts away from Kyiv and into the Donbass region.
Biden discussed additional Western aid to Ukraine in a secure video call with other world leaders Monday, where he also expressed the need to provide Ukraine with additional ammunition. Other countries, including Canada and the Netherlands, announced shipments of their own arms to Ukraine this week.
At a meeting with his senior military officials at the White House on Wednesday, Biden touted the steady flow of American aid to Ukraine as the war rages on.
“Weapons and ammunition are pouring in daily, and we see the importance of our alliances and partnerships around the world,” Biden told Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and US Combatant Commanders at a meeting in the cabinet room.
Biden said the US forces’ stance must be “dynamic” as the strategic environment abroad is “evolving rapidly.”
“Today we see the need for adjustment as a result of standing with Ukraine against Putin’s brutal and unjustified war. And I want to applaud the extraordinary work you are doing in arming and equipping courageous Ukrainians to defend their nation.” he said.
This story has been updated with additional reports.