Pentagon's surprise $300M for Ukraine

This ammunition will sustain Ukraine for only "a couple of weeks," said national security adviser Jake Sullivan

(Image credit: Sergei Supinsky / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

The Pentagon will rush $300 million worth of military aid to Ukraine, mostly for badly needed ammunition, the White House said Tuesday. The money for the aid package came from "unanticipated cost savings" in contracts to replace munitions sent to Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

Who said what

This "one time good deal" is "not a sustainable way to support Ukraine," said Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder. This ammunition will sustain Ukraine for only "a couple of weeks," Sullivan said, urging the House to approve a $95 billion security package with $60 billion for Ukraine. Kyiv's artillery shortfall is "costing terrain. It's costing lives."

What next?

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has not said if he will hold a vote on the Senate-approved Ukraine-Israel aid package. House Democrats tried to force a vote Tuesday by launching a long-shot discharge petition. "The Ukrainians are not running out of courage and tenacity," CIA Director William Burns told Congress. "They're running out of ammunition. And we're running out of time to help them."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.