The Biden administration announced a new military aid package to Ukraine on Wednesday, following a call between Presidents Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky .
This aid package is valued at $425 million and includes additional air defense capabilities, air-to-ground munitions, armored vehicles, and critical munitions, according to a readout from the White House . More than $59 billion of military aid has already been committed or provided by the U.S. since Russia's full scale invasion began in February 2022. This $425 million is part of that commitment.
"President Zelensky updated President Biden on his plan to achieve victory over Russia, and the two leaders tasked their teams to engage in further consultations on next steps," the White House said. "The leaders committed to intensify security assistance planning alongside international partners in order to ensure that Ukraine has the equipment it needs to prevail."
The White House readout of the Biden-Zelensky call also specified that the U.S. will provide Ukraine "with a range of additional capabilities" in the coming months, "including hundreds of air defense interceptors, dozens of tactical air defense systems, additional artillery systems, significant quantities of ammunition, hundreds of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, and thousands of additional armored vehicles, all of which will help to equip Ukraine’s armed forces."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the U.S.'s commitment to "supporting Ukraine with the equipment it needs to strengthen its position on the battlefield, defend its territory and people from the Kremlin’s brutal aggression, and secure a just and lasting peace."
Zelensky, on Telegram, thanked Biden for the aid package and said the U.S. leader "offered to consider the possibility of developing joint production of weapons," and the two of them "discussed the importance of additional training for Ukrainian soldiers."
Also on Wednesday, Zelensky outlined to Ukraine’s Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, his “Victory Plan” for the war against Russia . His speech outlined five major points and "three secret annexes" that focus on defense, security, European integration, and economic development to avoid a future conflict with Russia.
A major component of Zelensky’s plan is future NATO membership, which is something NATO members have already said is not possible until the current conflict is over. Additional parts of the plan include: deploying “a comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package,” capitalizing on Ukraine’s natural resources and critical metals, and replacing certain U.S. military contingents based in Europe with Ukrainian units once the war is over.
“If we start implementing this Victory Plan now, we may be able to end the war no later than next year,” Zelensky said.
He briefed Biden of the plan during a visit to the White House last month.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a true peace plan would require Kyiv to “sober up” and understand “the futility of the policy they are pursuing.”
Another major ask from the Ukrainians that the U.S. has yet to fulfill is the lifting of restrictions on how Ukraine can use U.S.-provided weapons to hit military targets within Russia's borders. Zelensky has requested the restrictions be lifted since the spring and it's included in his "Victory Plan," but the administration has refused to acquiesce due to concerns that the Russians could view it as escalatory. The administration reiterated this week that its stance has not changed.
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will be in Brussels later this week where he will participate in a number of multilateral meetings, including the NATO Defense Ministerial. The White House noted that Biden will hold a virtual leader-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group next month, but did not specify when.
Zelensky's push to get international support for his plans comes under the backdrop of the U.S. presidential election. Biden's presidency will end in January and the winner of next month's presidential election between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will determine the country's long-term commitment to Ukraine.
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