“The Ukrainian military has used the weapons we provide with disastrous results. As Russia prepares to intensify its offensive in the Donbas region, the United States will continue to provide Ukraine with the means to defend itself,” Biden said in a statement. Biden explained the new announcement in a lunchtime telephone conversation with Zelensky that lasted about an hour. “The ongoing dialogue with @POTUS has continued. It has assessed Russian war crimes. It has discussed the additional package of defense and possible macro-financial assistance. It has agreed to step up sanctions,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter. The package will include new types of weapons as well as equipment that the US has been providing to Ukraine for weeks. The new equipment includes “artillery systems, artillery shells and armored personnel carriers,” Biden said in a statement. “I have also approved the transfer of additional helicopters,” he said. A previous draft list of missions sent to Congress included MI-17 helicopters, coastal naval drones, shells, armored vehicles and other weapons. As of Tuesday night, two sources said the helicopters had been removed from the list, although Biden said in a statement that they were eventually included. The $ 800 million shipment raises the total amount of US military aid to Ukraine to more than $ 3 billion. Ukraine’s defense budget for 2020 was only about $ 6 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. In less than two months, the United States provided nearly half of that assistance, underscoring the pace at which the White House was working on arms and equipment shipments. The delivery of previous packages was still completed as the new one was announced. The United States expects the rest of the first 100 Switchblade drones to enter Ukraine “overnight,” according to a senior U.S. defense official. The official also said that another shipment of Javelin anti-tank missiles from the US is expected to arrive in Ukraine in the next 24 hours. The United States has also helped coordinate two airlift deliveries from two other countries to Ukraine, the official said during an off-camera briefing on Wednesday. Switchblade drones are small, portable drones that carry warheads and explode on impact. The smaller model can hit a target up to six miles away, according to the drone company. “The steady supply of weapons provided by the United States and its allies and partners to Ukraine was crucial to maintaining its fight against Russian aggression. It helped ensure that Putin failed in his original war goals to conquer and control “I can not rest now. As I assured President Zelensky, the American people will continue to stand with the brave Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom,” Biden said in a statement. The new dose for Ukraine comes as the Pentagon is due to convene a meeting with top arms makers on Wednesday to discuss the industry’s ability to support Ukraine in a protracted war with Russia, according to a defense official and a industry official. . The secret discussion will include proposals to speed up the production of existing systems and to develop new systems critical to the Ministry of Defense’s assistance to Ukraine and its allies, the defense official said. The meeting will bring together the top eight defense contractors, such as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and others. “It is part of our ongoing, frequent dialogue with industry partners to ensure a robust industrial base that meets the needs of the Ministry,” the official said. The meeting will bring together the top eight defense contractors, including General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, among others. “It is part of our ongoing, frequent dialogue with industry partners to ensure a robust industrial base that meets the needs of the Ministry,” the official said. The point, the official said, is that the United States “assumes that this will be a multi-year effort” in a scenario where, at least, Ukraine will not be able to build weapons safely in its own country. However, at the meeting, the official said, contractors are likely to point out the serious challenges still facing the US defense industry, including ongoing and serious supply chain problems and a lack of an affordable workforce. All of this continues to limit defense production capacity and could worsen as Ukraine’s increased defense spending and contracts compete for construction capacity, the official said. The issue of capacity also affects the construction of critical ammunition supplies, although most is done in government facilities run by contractors. This story has been updated with additional details. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Jim Sciutto, and Oren Liebermann contributed to this report.
