March 15, 2022 11:20 pm ET
March 15, 2022 11:20 pm ETE Equipment and defensive munitions provided by the United States at Boryspil International Airport near Kiev, Ukraine, in January. Photo… Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times
President Biden plans to announce $800 million in additional security assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday, just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a virtual address to Congress, White House officials said.
Mr. Biden will detail the new military aid late in the morning, shortly after Mr. Zelensky presents a list of military equipment and other assistance he believes is needed to prevent a Russian invasion and, in particular, to hold the capital. Kyiv. . More anti-aircraft batteries are at the top of the list, allowing them to harass — and shoot down — Russian transport planes and fighter jets arriving in the city where the fighting is taking place.
In addition to asking for weapons and warplanes, Mr. Zelenskiy pleaded with NATO to impose a no-fly zone, which the allies refused because it would put them in direct combat with the Russian military. To secure the no-fly zone, US forces would have to disable the Russian air defense system – inside Russia – and Mr. Biden dismissed the move as unnecessary. Russia warned that it would view the no-fly zone as an act of war.
Last week, the administration announced $200 million in aid to Ukraine. In February, the Biden administration approved a $350 million arms package for Ukraine. In total, the Biden administration authorized $1.2 billion worth of arms shipments to Ukraine last year, officials said.
The armament includes at least 600 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and about 2,600 Javelin anti-tank missiles, according to a senior White House official. But Ukraine needs better anti-missile systems.
So far, the Americans have also provided Ukraine with five Mi-17 helicopters, three patrol boats and 70 other vehicles of various types.
The US aid also included small arms: 200 grenade launchers, 200 shotguns, 200 machine guns and nearly 40 million rounds of ammunition, the official said. America also sent one million grenades, mortar and artillery shells, as well as body armor, helmets, tactical equipment and military medical equipment, the official said.
The weapons come from existing US military stockpiles in Europe and are shipped to neighboring countries such as Poland and Romania, from where they are transported by land to western Ukraine, the official said.
The Biden administration has also asked Congress for $4.25 billion in new funding for economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians.
In addition to weapons, Mr. Zelenskiy asked Europe and the US to provide Ukraine with Polish MiG-29 fighter jets. Poland refused to send its aging Russian-made fighter jets directly to Ukraine, but instead offered to turn them over to the United States, taking them to a US base in Germany for final handover to Ukraine.
The Biden administration rejected the plan due to the risk that it could directly drag NATO into the war. Instead, the Biden administration provided Ukraine with anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons.
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