White House approves $425 million in new Ukraine aid

The White House on Wednesday announced its latest package of military support for Ukraine, including $425 million worth of air defense, air-to-ground missiles, armored vehicles and other munitions.

President Joe Biden spoke Wednesday morning with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the White House announced the latest round of aid to help Kyiv in its ongoing war against Russia’s invasion.

The two leaders discussed the state of the war and a “victory plan” Zelenskyy has touted to end the conflict, according to a readout of the call.

The Ukrainian president publicly discussed that plan for the first time in a speech before the country’s parliament Wednesday . Arguing that his framework could halt the war by the end of 2025, Zelenskyy described five main points — chief among them membership in NATO and long-term military support from the West.

This week’s package includes many of those weapons Ukraine needs most, though it solely involves equipment America has sent in the past. The White House’s authority to send more assistance was set to expire at the end of September, forcing the president to designate the aid toward the existing list of approved systems.

The White House pledged that within months the U.S. would send “hundreds” of air defense interceptors and “dozens” of smaller air defense systems, both of which have become as valuable as they are scarce two-and-a-half years into the war. Russia has consistently overwhelmed Ukraine’s air defenses with cheap drones and ballistic missiles in attacks on military and civilian targets.

Kyiv is bracing for more such strikes heading into the winter as Ukraine struggles with a damaged power grid.

A Pentagon release specified that the air defense ammunition would include interceptors for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS. The package also features artillery and “thousands” of armored vehicles, according to the White House.

Biden had intended to host an October summit of leaders from countries supporting Ukraine’s self-defense but cancelled to help coordinate the response to Hurricane Milton. The White House said that meeting will now occur virtually in November.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin flew to Brussels Wednesday for meetings with his NATO counterparts. Austin will later attend a summit of defense ministers from the G7, a group of developed countries, where support for Ukraine will be on the docket.

Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

白宫周三宣布了对乌克兰的最新一揽子军事援助计划，其中包括价值 4.25 亿美元的防空武器、空对地导弹、装甲车和其他弹药。

周三上午，美国总统乔·拜登与乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基通了电话。随后，白宫宣布了最新一轮援助，以帮助基辅应对持续不断的对抗俄罗斯入侵的战争。

根据通话记录，两位领导人讨论了战争现状以及泽连斯基吹捧的旨在结束冲突的“胜利计划”。

乌克兰总统泽连斯基周三在议会发表讲话，首次公开讨论了该计划。泽连斯基认为，他的方案框架可以在2025年底前结束战争，并阐述了五个要点——其中最重要的是加入北约和获得西方的长期军事支持。

本周的援助物资包括乌克兰急需的许多武器，但全部都是美国过去曾提供过的装备。白宫此前获得更多援助的授权将于9月底到期，这迫使总统将援助物资指定用于现有已批准的系统清单。

白宫承诺，美国将在数月内向乌克兰派遣“数百架”防空拦截机和“数十套”小型防空系统。战争爆发两年半以来，这两种装备都变得既珍贵又稀缺。俄罗斯持续利用廉价无人机和弹道导弹袭击乌克兰的军事和民用目标，不断突破乌克兰的防空系统。

基辅方面正严阵以待，准备应对冬季来临之际可能发生的更多此类袭击，因为乌克兰的电网已经遭到破坏。

五角大楼发布的消息称，这批防空弹药将包括国家先进地对空导弹系统（NASAMS）的拦截弹。白宫方面表示，这批物资还包括火炮和“数千辆”装甲车。

拜登原计划在10月主持一次支持乌克兰自卫的国家领导人峰会，但为了协调应对飓风米尔顿，他取消了峰会。白宫表示，此次峰会将改为11月以线上形式举行。

与此同时，英国国防大臣劳埃德·奥斯汀周三飞往布鲁塞尔，与北约同行举行会晤。奥斯汀随后将出席七国集团（G7）国防部长峰会，该集团由发达国家组成，峰会将讨论对乌克兰的支持问题。

诺亚·罗伯逊是《防务新闻》的五角大楼记者。他此前曾为《基督教科学箴言报》报道国家安全新闻。他拥有弗吉尼亚州威廉斯堡威廉与玛丽学院的英语和政治学学士学位。