The Biden administration has decided to put Ukraine at the top of the list of countries receiving air defense weapons, effectively forcing the U.S. ally to wait at least 16 months to receive the same weapons.
The administration said that Russia has stepped up missile and drone attacks on Ukraine in recent months in an attempt to destroy the country’s energy systems ahead of winter.
“This is not a new tactic for them, but they have certainly put a lot of energy and effort into this in recent months,” John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters on Thursday.
As we heard from President Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian military is in desperate need of additional air defense capabilities. We take our partnerships seriously, especially when our partners like Ukraine are in crisis, and we know that Ukraine urgently needs these additional capabilities right now.
We continue to do our utmost and have provided Ukraine with a range of air defense systems and interceptor missiles from our own stockpiles, including Patriot systems, NASAMs and, of course, Hawks.Many of our allies and partners have similarly stepped up in historic ways. But clearly, more is needed, and it is needed now. That is why, in the near term, the United States Government has made the difficult but necessary decision to reprioritize its foreign military sales programs, particularly of Patriot and NASAM missiles, to Ukraine.
The move is President Joe Biden’s latest escalation of U.S. involvement in the war between Ukraine and Russia. He recently authorized Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to attack inside Russia if Russian forces prepare to cross the border and attack Ukraine.
Initially, the administration claimed that the policy was only intended to strike Russian forces preparing to attack Kharkiv, but now the Biden administration claims that the new policy will allow Ukraine to strike any location in Ukraine where Russian forces are preparing to attack Ukraine.
It is unclear whether former President Donald Trump would be able to reverse the measures if he is re-elected in November.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), a staunch critic of continuing to send billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to fuel the Ukraine war, blasted the decision, saying, “At this point, the Biden Administration is actively endangering our national security by ignoring other priorities in its focus on Ukraine. This is a slow-moving disaster from the Biden Administration.”
At this moment, we are actively endangering our national security by focusing on Ukraine to the neglect of other priorities.
The slow-moving disaster of the Biden Administration. https://t.co/9l0DQ85xuG
— JD Vance (@JDVance1) June 20, 2024
he I have written Xth day of January:
…The longer the war continues, the more Ukraine will turn into a remnant state. Ukraine is now recruiting old people to send to the front line. The average age of a Ukrainian soldier was 43 a few months ago, but is now likely to be a little older. Ukraine lost 25% of its population, mostly due to refugees who left the country. Without the support of its allies, it will not be able to provide basic services to its people. If the war ended yesterday, rebuilding Ukraine would cost hundreds of billions of dollars. The best thing for Ukraine, and of course for the United States, would be to hold peace talks. 4) Yes, I know what I am saying. That is why I realize that the arguments of the pro-Ukrainian caucus are becoming more and more detached from reality every day.
Kirby argued Thursday that this is a “pivotal” moment in the Ukraine war — something the administration has argued every time it has tried to persuade Congress to approve more aid for Ukraine.
“This will allow us to supply Ukraine with the missiles it needs to maintain its stockpile during the critical period of the war, and again in the late summer and fall,” he said.
“As a result, deliveries of missiles to other countries currently on the waiting list will be delayed. To be clear, those countries will still receive the missiles they ordered, they’ll just have a slightly longer delivery timeline,” Kirby said.
The Biden administration has refused to say which countries and allies might have to wait longer to get similar weapons, including air defense missiles.
Kirby said the Biden administration has notified all affected countries and is “making every effort to minimize any adverse impacts on countries affected by Foreign Military Sales transactions.”
The administration insisted that Taiwan and Israel, both of which face possible aggression by the People’s Republic of China, would not be affected. Kirby said:
This decision demonstrates our commitment to supporting our partners in times of existential crisis. The United States firmly believes this is the best course of action to support Ukraine at this time. At the same time, it ensures that other partners receive the air defense missiles and capabilities they have committed to purchasing, again on the extended schedule.
Kirby said a change in recipient priorities would allow Ukraine to receive the air defense missiles “in the coming weeks.”
“We will certainly see the first of these deliveries begin in Ukraine by the end of the summer,” Kirby said.
Kirby asserted that this delivery will give Ukraine sufficient capability through the remainder of fiscal year 2024 and into fiscal year 2025.
“So the focus will be around 16 months to replenish Ukraine’s stocks, and then supplies will begin to go to the countries that have been asked to defer,” Kirby said.
Kirby said the move would provide Ukraine with “hundreds” of Patriot and NASAM interceptor missiles.
He said affected countries were “largely understanding.”
Asked about countries that border Russia, such as Poland, Kirby declined to answer.
“We’re going to let the affected countries speak for themselves on this one. As I said, the response that we got was largely supportive. And many of the countries that we spoke to were actually very supportive of this because they know how serious the need is in Ukraine,” he said.
Kirby said the administration would consider “reorienting” its air defense systems as well as missiles.
“Even prior to this decision, we have been working closely with European and non-European countries that have systems – launchers, radar systems, support systems – about their willingness to provide those systems to Ukraine’s air defense capabilities. So that effort is ongoing, I would even call it a parallel effort. And we intend to continue doing that,” he said.
Follow Christina Wong’s “X” at Breitbart News. The truth of society,or Facebook.
