US announces new weapons package for Ukraine

The U.S. on Wednesday announced what officials say could be the final package of military aid to Ukraine unless Congress approves supplemental funding legislation that is stalled on Capitol Hill.

The weapons, worth up to $250 million, include an array of air munitions and other missiles, artillery, anti-armor systems, ammunition, demolition and medical equipment and parts. The aid, provided through the Presidential Drawdown Authority, will be pulled from Pentagon stockpiles.

In a statement, Marine Lt. Col. Garron Garn, a Pentagon spokesman said there is no more funding to replace the weapons taken from department stocks. And the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides long-term funding for future weapons contracts, is also out of money.

As a result, Garn said Wednesday, “Without the supplemental funding, there will be a shortfall in replenishing U.S. military stocks, affecting American military readiness.”

President Joe Biden is urging Congress to pass a $110 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs. It includes $61.4 billion for Ukraine, with about half to replenish Pentagon stocks. It also includes about $14 billion for Israel as it fights Hamas and $14 billion for U.S. border security. Other funds would go for security needs in the Asia-Pacific.

Due to an accounting error that overvalued some of the weapons sent to Ukraine over the past year or more, there is still about $4.2 billion in restored drawdown authority. But since the Pentagon has no money to replenish inventory sent to Kyiv, the department will have to “rigorously assess” any future aid and its implications on the U.S. military’s ability to protect America, Garn said.

This is the 54th tranche of military aid taken from department shelves and sent to Ukraine, and it is similar in size and contents to many of the other recent packages.

U.S. defense and government leaders have argued that the weapons are critical for Ukraine to maintain its defense and continue efforts to mount an offensive against Russian forces during the winter months.

In a Pentagon briefing last week, Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder noted the recent letter that the Defense Department comptroller sent to Congress warning that the U.S. will be using up the last of its replenishment funds by the end of the year.

“Once those funds are obligated, we will have exhausted the funding available for us to provide security assistance to Ukraine,” said Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary. “We would, again, continue to urge the passage of the supplemental that we’ve submitted. ... It is imperative that we have the funds needed to ensure that they get the most urgent battlefield capabilities that they require.”

The latest aid package comes as the war in Ukraine drags on into its 22nd month. Russia fired almost 50 Shahed drones at targets in Ukraine and shelled a train station in the southern city of Kherson where more than 100 civilians were gathered to catch a train to Kyiv. And a day earlier, Ukrainian warplanes damaged a Russian ship moored in the Black Sea off Crimea as soldiers on both sides are struggling to make much progress along the front lines.

美国周三宣布了一项官员称可能是对乌克兰的最后一轮军事援助方案，除非国会批准在国会山陷入僵局的补充拨款法案。

这批价值高达2.5亿美元的武器包括各种空射弹药和其他导弹、火炮、反装甲系统、弹药、爆破设备和医疗设备及零部件。这笔援助将通过总统裁军授权从五角大楼的库存中提取。

五角大楼发言人、海军陆战队中校加伦·加恩在一份声明中表示，没有更多资金用于替换从国防部库存中缴获的武器。此外，为未来武器合同提供长期资金的乌克兰安全援助计划也已资金耗尽。

因此，加恩周三表示，“如果没有补充资金，美国军需品库存将出现短缺，从而影响美国军队的战备能力。”

拜登总统敦促国会通过一项1100亿美元的援助计划，用于乌克兰、以色列以及其他国家安全需求。该计划包括向乌克兰提供614亿美元，其中约一半用于补充五角大楼的库存。此外，还包括向以色列提供约140亿美元，用于其打击哈马斯，以及140亿美元用于美国边境安全。其余资金将用于亚太地区的安全需求。

由于会计错误导致过去一年多来运往乌克兰的部分武器价值被高估，目前仍有约42亿美元的撤军授权得以恢复。但加恩表示，由于五角大楼没有资金补充运往基辅的库存，国防部将不得不“严格评估”任何未来的援助及其对美军保卫美国能力的影响。

这是从各部门货架上取下并送往乌克兰的第 54 批军事援助物资，其规模和内容与最近其他许多包裹类似。

美国国防部和政府领导人认为，这些武器对于乌克兰维持其防御以及在冬季继续对俄罗斯军队发动进攻至关重要。

在上周五角大楼的一次简报会上，空军少将帕特·莱德指出，国防部审计长最近致信国会，警告称美国将在年底前用完最后一笔补充资金。

五角大楼新闻秘书莱德表示：“一旦这些资金被拨付，我们将耗尽可用于向乌克兰提供安全援助的资金。我们将再次敦促通过我们提交的补充拨款法案……我们必须确保获得所需的资金，以保障他们获得最迫切需要的战场能力。”

最新一轮援助计划出台之际，乌克兰战争已持续22个月。俄罗斯向乌克兰境内目标发射了近50架“沙赫德”无人机，并炮击了南部城市赫尔松的一个火车站，当时有100多名平民聚集在那里准备搭乘火车前往基辅。就在一天前，乌克兰战机击伤了一艘停泊在克里米亚附近黑海的俄罗斯军舰。目前，交战双方士兵在前线都难以取得实质性进展。