President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his administration will release $800 million in military assistance for Ukraine, bringing the total U.S. investment in the country to upwards of $1 billion this week alone.

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his administration will release another $800 million in military assistance for Ukraine

  • The new supply of equipment will include 800 anti-aircraft systems, 9,000 anti-armor systems, 20 million rounds of ammunition and more 

  • The president’s speech came several hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed both chambers of Congress 

  • Congress already approved $13.6 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, and the newly announced aid will come from that allotment

“The world is united in our support for Ukraine and our determination to make [Russia’s President Vladimir Putin] pay a very heavy price,” Biden said from the White House. “America is leading this effort, together with our allies and partners, providing enormous levels of security and humanitarian assistance that we're adding to today and we're going to continue to do more in the days and weeks ahead.” 

Biden delineated a number of items the U.S. will provide to Ukraine as part of Wednesday’s package, which included: 

  • 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems to fend off attacks from Russian warplanes

  • 9,000 anti-armor systems, including 2,000 Javelin, 1,000 light anti-armor weapons and 6,000 AT-4 systems

  • 7,000 weapons including 100 grenade launchers, 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns and 400 shotguns 

  • 20 million rounds of ammunition for artillery

  • 100 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems, or drones 

“The United States and our allies and partners are fully committed to surging weapons of assistance to the Ukrainians, and more will be coming as we source additional stocks of equipment that we're ready to transfer,” Biden said. 

“Now I want to be honest with you: this could be a long and difficult battle,” he added. “But the American people will be steadfast in our support of the people of Ukraine in the face of Putin’s immoral, unethical attacks on civilian populations.” 

The president’s speech came several hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed both chambers of Congress in a virtual speech, where he implored the United States to implement a no-fly zone over his country, to send MiG fighter jets to Ukraine and to issue “more new packages of sanctions [...] every week until the Russian military machine stops.” 

Biden mentioned neither the request for MiG planes nor the implementation of a no-fly zone during his address. When asked what it would take to send the planes to Ukraine, Biden responded: “I'm not going to comment on that right now.”

Already the Biden administration has sent Ukraine more than 600 Stinger missiles, 2,600 Javelin anti-armor systems, unmanned aerial system tracking radars, grenade launchers, 200 shotguns, 200 machine guns and nearly 40 million rounds of small arms ammunition, along with helicopters, patrol boats, satellite imagery and body armor, helmets, and other tactical gear, a U.S. official told the Associated Press.

Congress has already approved $13.6 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, and the newly announced security aid will come from that allotment, which is part of a broader bill that Biden signed into law Tuesday.

The Ukraine aid included $6.5 billion for the U.S. costs of sending troops and weapons to Eastern Europe and equipping allied forces there in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion and bellicose threats. There was another $6.8 billion to care for refugees and provide economic aid to allies, and more to help federal agencies enforce economic sanctions against Russia and protect against cyber threats at home.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.