US announces new weapons package for Ukraine, as funds dwindle and Congress is stalled on aid bill
Associated PressJan 03
US Releases Last Authorized Weapons Package for Ukraine
Image copyright: [via US Department of Defense]
The Facts
In what could be the last US military aid package headed to Ukraine, unless Congress approves further spending, the White House released a weapons package worth $250M on Wednesday.
The package, America's 54th to Ukraine since August 2021, includes munitions for air defense systems as well as for a range of weapons including artillery and rocket systems, the US Dept. of Defense said in a statement.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
While Western countries have pledged to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, they have largely fallen short of providing Ukraine with the amounts and types of weapons needed to inflict defeat on Russia. That fate of beating the Kremlin is still very much possible — but these countries need to rapidly ramp up their delivery of weaponry.
Establishment-critical narrative
The West's collective failure in seeking to expand NATO eastwards to Russia's borders started this war, which has resulted in Ukraine losing vast swaths of territory, as well as untold numbers of men and women. Rather than continue prolonging this devastation, Ukraine needs to push for peace.