U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters he intends to talk to President Zelenskyy about upcoming military aid packages for Ukraine in light of rumors that further help might be revealed as soon as this week, CNBC reported.
When asked if he had talked to Zelenskyy and what he intended to tell him regarding upcoming demands for help, Biden responded: “We’re going to talk.”
According to two U.S. sources informed on the situation and spoke to Reuters on Tuesday, Washington is getting ready to send Kyiv a $2.2 billion military aid package that is anticipated to include longer-range rockets as well as other munitions and weaponry for the first time.
One of the representatives claimed that a portion of the estimated $1.725 billion package would come from a fund called the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which enables President Joe Biden’s administration to purchase weapons from the private sector rather than from American weapons stocks.
The Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), manufactured by Boeing, has a range of 94 miles and would be purchased with USAI funding (150 km). Ukraine has been denied access to the 185-mile (297-km) range ATACMS missile by the United States.
One of the individuals said that more HAWK air defense components, anti-drone systems, anti-artillery and air surveillance radars, communications gear, PUMA drones, and replacement parts for significant systems like Patriot and Bradley will all be purchased using USAI cash.
Another ally also contributed a sizeable amount of medical equipment, which would have been sufficient to outfit three field hospitals, the person said.
More than $400 million in assistance was anticipated to come from Presidential Drawdown Authority funds in addition to the USAI funds, which allow the president to withdraw from existing U.S. stocks in an emergency.
It was anticipated that this assistance would include of guided multiple launch rocket systems (GMLRS), ammunition, and mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs).
According to CNBC, citing unnamed government sources quoted in the El Pais daily on Wednesday, Spain intends to transfer four to six Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine.
The sources claim that the precise quantity will depend on the state of the battle tanks in storage and how many other nations would finally give Ukraine.
Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the U.S. has provided Ukraine with security aid totaling around $27.2 billion. Invasion is described as a “special operation” by Russia.
