Pentagon to give Ukraine $300 million in weapons
LA TimesUkrainian soldiers from the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Mariupol Brigade prepare to fire a rocket system toward Russian positions at the front line this month near Bakhmut, Donetsk region. The Pentagon will rush about $300 million in weapons to Ukraine after finding some cost savings in its contracts, even though the military remains deeply overdrawn and needs at least $10 billion to replenish all the weapons it has pulled from its stocks to help Kyiv in its desperate fight against Russia, the White House announced Tuesday. The replenishment funds have allowed the Pentagon to pull existing munitions, air defense systems and other weapons from its reserve inventories under presidential drawdown authority to send to Ukraine and then put contracts on order to replace those weapons, which are needed to maintain U.S. military readiness. “When Russian troops advance and its guns fire, Ukraine does not have enough ammunition to fire back,” said national security advisor Jake Sullivan said in announcing the $300 million in additional aid. One of the officials said the package represented a “one-time shot” — unless Congress passes the supplemental spending bill, which includes roughly $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine, or more cost savings are found.