American aid to Ukraine: new $6 billion component announced

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a new $6 billion round of aid to Ukraine on Friday as Washington tries to catch up on supplies to Kyiv after months of impasse in Congress.

“This is the largest military assistance package that we have announced so far,” the American official emphasized during a press conference. This assistance program includes air defense, anti-drone systems, and artillery ammunition. This will allow Kyiv to “stabilize the front line,” Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky welcomed.

This is the second round of aid announced this week, following the announcement of $1 billion on Wednesday. The two amounts are part of a $61 billion aid budget for Kyiv that was voted in Congress this week and subsequently unveiled by Joe Biden as Ukraine now faces difficulties in its war against Russia.

While the billion-dollar aid announced Wednesday will come from U.S. military reserves, the aid announced Friday will come from contracts with the defense industry or partners. This means that the path to the battlefield will take longer.

After unveiling legislation on Wednesday providing $61 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine, Joe Biden promised a swift and massive arms transfer.

Major military support

The United States is Kyiv’s main military backer, but Congress has not passed a major package for its ally in nearly a year and a half, largely due to partisan differences.

Until this week, Washington had announced aid to Ukraine only once this year: a $300 million aid package in March made possible only by Pentagon savings on other purchases.

The passage of the aid plan is a relief for the Ukrainian army, which has faced shortages of recruits and ammunition amid constant pressure from Russian forces in the east. Authorities predict a deterioration in the situation at the front, potentially as early as mid-May.

And if the return of American aid allows the Ukrainian army to regain the initiative against Russia, then preparing a counteroffensive will take much longer, a US military official estimated on Thursday. “The Ukrainians have been rationing their ammunition for some time now (…) so the Russians, in short, have taken the lead,” the official told the press on condition of anonymity. Allied military assistance “will allow the Ukrainians to begin to seize the initiative,” but “it will not be a quick process,” she added.

Receiving and quickly deploying new supplies will take time just to “stand our ground,” she warned, saying she does not expect “any large-scale offensive at first.”