The US House of Representatives has approved a bill to help Ukraine worth $60.84bn. The document still needs to be approved by the Senate, but there are clear signals from there that they are ready to pass it, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
The funds are to be distributed as follows:
- $23.2 billion will remain in the US and be spent on replenishing US stocks;
- 13.8 billion – for the purchase of advanced weapons systems, defence products and defence services for Ukraine;
- 11.3 billion – for ongoing US military operations in Europe;
- 26 million – for continued oversight and accountability of the assistance provided to Ukraine;
- 7.85 billion – a loan of direct financial assistance to the state budget.
Regarding the last point, the US President can cancel the loan, but only after the US elections scheduled for 5 November 2024.
So, what kind of weapons can Ukraine count on?
ATACMS
ATACMS is an American short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile manufactured by Lockheed Martin. They were developed in 1988 and first used in the 1991 Gulf War. They are launched from the M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS launchers.
After the missile is fired, it rises upwards and strikes the target from above almost vertically. At the time of impact, the missile’s speed reaches 3,500 km/h. Russians can shoot down such missiles with S-400 systems, but they are still considered extremely effective.
The delivery of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine became known last autumn, but the Americans then provided the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a 165-kilometre range. Currently, the missiles are to be delivered with a range of up to 300 kilometres, which will allow them to hit targets deep in Crimea and Russian territory.
The US lawmakers have made one significant reservation about the transfer of ATACMS: The US President may refuse to transfer these weapons if he believes that it would harm national security. THE UNITED STATES. However, according to media reports, the decision to transfer the ATACMS has been made by the Biden administration.
AIR DEFENCE
It is difficult to say whether the package will include Patriot systems, because, based on their cost, the entire aid package could be spent on them, and the skies over Ukraine will not be even close to being closed. Therefore, it can be assumed that the Ukrainian leadership will try to continue looking for Patriots through other channels.
“Patriots are air defence systems only when they are in action, protecting lives, and not when they are sitting idle somewhere in storage bases… “We need Patriots in the hands of Ukrainians now,”
– said President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
However, Ukraine really needs air defence systems, so something will probably be delivered.
Missiles
President Zelensky said that the Russians destroyed the Trypillia thermal power plant because Ukraine had no missiles left to defend it. Therefore, when we talk about air defence, we are talking not only about launchers, but also about missiles for them. In particular, American companies produce AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-7/RIM-7 missiles. The AIM-120 is suitable for the NASAMS air defence systems in service in Ukraine, as well as for the F-16 aircraft that the Ukrainians are expected to receive in the near future.
We can also expect the supply of M30 precision-guided missiles and missiles for HIMARS.
Ammunition
As Pentagon spokesman General Patrick Ryder promised, if the bill is passed, ammunition will be shipped very quickly from US warehouses in Germany.
“We have a very sophisticated logistics network that allows us to move equipment very quickly, as we have done in the past,” Ryder said,
– ryder said.
The Americans will focus on the supply of anti-aircraft missile and artillery ammunition. There is no talk of cluster munitions at the moment, but this type of weapon helped Ukraine greatly in 2023, so it is fashionable to assume that their supply will continue. In particular, we are talking about M864 ammunition for 155mm artillery.
Smaller weapons
Among the significant weapons, we should expect new batches of anti-tank missile systems, including the BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missile. We are also likely to receive M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel mines and M21 anti-tank mines, as well as RAAMS remote anti-tank mine launchers.
If the weapons do indeed arrive in Ukraine at the proper pace, the upcoming support package, together with assistance from other partners, will allow Ukraine to maintain an adequate combat level throughout the year.