Biden officials speak with Ukraine on latest military aid package

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with their Ukrainian counterparts ahead of the Biden administration unveiling a $700 million weapons package for Ukraine this week.

The call with Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, and Valerii Zaluzhny, commander in chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, came hours before President Biden unveiled the package on Wednesday. According to a readout from Ukraine, leaders also “discussed future arms supplies to our army.”

The latest package includes the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), a long-range rocket system, and other munitions to help the Ukrainian military strike targets with greater accuracy inside Ukraine.

In a separate readout of the call, Joint Staff spokesman Col. Dave Butler said the leaders “discussed the unprovoked and ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and international support for the Ukrainian armed forces.”

Sullivan and Milley “reaffirmed the United States’ steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Butler added.

The package is the first to dip into the presidential drawdown authority enacted by Congress last month as part of a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine.

Biden had previously ruled out sending rockets that could launch into Russian territory after it was reported that the administration would send the Multiple Launch Rocket System, which could strike targets up to 185 miles away.

The HIMARS the U.S. is sending can only travel up to 50 miles, and Biden administration officials have said that Ukraine gave assurances that they wouldn’t be used to strike territory inside of Russia.

The security package also includes counter-artillery radars, 1,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles, four Mi-17 helicopters and 15 tactical vehicles, among other capabilities.  

“Andriy Yermak and Valerii Zaluzhny thanked the United States for its assistance and raised the issue of the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to repel Russia’s armed aggression,” the statement from Ukraine’s office said.