US Government Provides Additional $430 Billion Worth of Weapons Support to Ukraine

Long-range missiles requested by Ukraine excluded
Zelensky visits US Congress: "Without support, defeat"
House Speaker McCarthy asks, "Is there a victory strategy?"

The U.S. government unveiled an additional $325 million (approximately 430 billion KRW) weapons support package for Ukraine on the 21st (local time). However, the ATACMS missiles, which the Ukrainian government had repeatedly requested as a necessary support item, were not included in the package.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

U.S. President Joe Biden announced the additional $325 million support package after meeting with President Zelensky, who was visiting the U.S. to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

President Zelensky welcomed the move, calling it "a very powerful package" and saying, "This is exactly what our warriors need right now."

The list of weapons supported by the U.S. includes air defense missiles, artillery shells, anti-tank weapons, and cluster munitions. President Biden also stated that the U.S. Army’s main battle tank, the Abrams M1, is expected to arrive in Ukraine soon.

However, the more powerful long-range weapons that President Zelensky had repeatedly requested were excluded from this support list. Since launching a counteroffensive against Russia in June, Ukraine has made little progress. President Zelensky has repeatedly emphasized the need for F-16 fighter jets capable of striking behind enemy lines and ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles with a range of 300 km.

The U.S. has promised to provide F-16 fighter jets, but pilot training and other preparations will take time, making it difficult for the F-16s to be deployed in combat immediately. Consequently, President Zelensky has recently focused on securing ATACMS support, but these missiles were left out of this weapons support package. This is why President Zelensky cannot simply smile despite the U.S. government's latest weapons aid.

Within the U.S., fatigue over supporting Ukraine is growing as the Russia-Ukraine war drags on. In response, President Zelensky personally visited the U.S. Congress to appeal for support. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican Speaker of the House, who is under pressure from hardliners within his party to halt support for Ukraine, reportedly questioned President Zelensky about whether U.S. aid is being used properly and whether there is a clear strategy for victory. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told reporters after their meeting, "You cannot win a war through attrition," and said that lawmakers need to be confident that Ukraine can achieve victory.

Meanwhile, The Economist in the UK suggested on the same day that Ukraine and the West should revise their war goals from "victory followed by reconstruction" to "enduring and prospering through a prolonged conflict."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.