U.S. ‘Military Aid’ to Ukraine at $54 Billion as Media Calls for More

by | May 26, 2022 | News

As the Russia-Ukraine war continues, U.S. media echoes calls from Ukrainian officials for more weapons. The total U.S. spending on Ukraine has reached $54 billion, with largely bipartisan support on aid packages from U.S. lawmakers.

CNBC described the latest legislation President Joe Biden signed on Saturday for another $40 billion in weapons and aid to Ukraine during the fourth month of the Russian invasion. The legislation was passed with bipartisan support, and “deepens the U.S. commitment to Ukraine.” The bill includes $20 billion in “military assistance,” which CNBC said will ensure “a steady stream of advanced weapons that have been used to blunt Russia’s advances.”

The New York Times noted the speed with which this “emergency military and humanitarian aid package” was swept into law. “The lopsided vote, with just 11 senators in opposition — all Republicans — reflected the remarkable bipartisan support on Capitol Hill for a massive investment in Ukraine’s war effort.” In Congress, the leaders of both parties “raised few questions about how much money was being spent or what it would be used for,” in contrast to gridlock on recent years’ domestic initiatives — such as on pandemic response and for $28 million to address the nationwide baby formula shortage.

CNBC listed in April the arms being sent in the then-latest “military aid package” of $800 million. At the time, this was the eighth installment of weapons shipments, amounting to a mere $3.4 billion. CNBC let Pentagon spokesman John Kirby describe the included “Phoenix Ghost” drones, which he said were “rapidly developed by the Air Force, in response, specifically to Ukrainian requirements.”

CNBC detailed other items in this “security package” accompanied by close-up images of the military hardware and soldiers operating them during training exercises. Included among the images is a stylized photograph of a solider standing with a Switchblade 600 done, provided by the U.S. weapons manufacturer AeroVironment. The firm, its name linked to its CNBC profile and Nasdaq listing, also provided footage of the Switchblade drone in action.

This April weapons package also included Javelin portable anti-armor weapons, which were “high on the wishlists” of the Ukrainian military and produced by “defense giants”  Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

Ukrainian leaders are continuing requests for the U.S. and NATO allies to send modern multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), with Newseek saying these artillery systems “have risen to the top of the Ukrainian shopping list.” The outlet shared a tweet by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense showing a video of a Russian barrage, saying “Ukraine is ready to strike back. To do this, we need NATO-style MLRS. Immediately.” Newsweek explained how American missile launchers would “allow Ukrainians to target more Russian artillery batteries and attackers at longer ranges.”

Some American lawmakers are “agitating for action on MLRS,” said Newsweek, concluding with a call to action by Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee: “The very fact that our diplomats raise this issue indicates that there are strong chances to get MLRS,” Merezhko said. “I suppose it might happen…The U.S. often takes the lead in providing us with military aid, and to other states it serves as a good example to follow.”

Politico reported that a Biden administration official cited concern in the White House that providing these advanced, destructive weapons would be interpretated as escalation by Moscow. Russia’s “battlefield humiliation” and “string of failed offensives” combined with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unpredictability “could move the needle closer to Russia resorting to the use of chemical weapons or other weapons of mass destruction.” Still, according to Politico, “Ukrainian officials are growing frustrated with the Biden administration’s resistance.”

For the Wall Street Journal, Seth Cropsey wrote “The U.S. Should Show It Can Win a Nuclear War,” claiming, “The reality is that unless the U.S. prepares to win a nuclear war, it risks losing one” and suggesting the U.S. “recalibrate its strategic logic for a nuclear environment.”  Dave Lindorff examined Cropsey’s arguments, citing the duty of officers in the Russian and U.S. military to “make a launch decision on their own,” potentially resulting in a commander’s choice to “launch as many of his missiles as he can before his ship is destroyed.”

 

Image by Frauke Riether / Pixabay

 

More from The Edge

The 10 Freeway Has Been Reopened but L.A.’s Transit Problem Remains

During the early hours of November 11, a fire erupted in a storage yard underneath the I-10 freeway near downtown Los Angeles, structurally compromising a large section of the road and resulting in, what was at the time, claimed to be an indefinite closure of the...

From My Body to Yours, and Gaza to the World

A Meditation on Death, Killing, and Possibility I knew my body was healing from the surgery when I found myself ready to engage with the world and posted on Facebook: I am always anti-zionist. And never an antisemite. And always an anti-racist feminist against...

On the Tragic Inevitability of Stacking Corpses

War. Genocide. Pandemics. Heat. Famine. Racism. Misogyny. Hunger. Violence. There are so many ways for mortal beings to die, especially the most vulnerable, and too often these deaths are state sponsored, sped by capitalism, and/or preventable. We — humans and...

“Barbie”: An Anti-Racist Socialist Feminist Meditation

I started writing this the day “Barbie” was opening in the theatres. I had not seen it yet, because I am writing less about the film and more about the cultural and political moment we inhabit as it opens. I went as soon as I finished an early draft, exactly one week...

Supreme Court Ruling in Stalking Case Hurts Victims

Stalking is a social and public health emergency. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Counterman v. Colorado makes things easier for abusers and harder for victims. A form of gender-based violence, stalking affects more than 13 million people annually in the...

The Rogue Court’s Reactionary Radicalism

This Is a Catastrophe. I am finishing the writing of this piece shortly after the July 4 holiday. This is significant — to wonder who this country is now, and before. I began writing it while riding the bus into NYC from Ithaca, NY, on Friday, June 30, while the last...

Held vs. Montana: The Future of the Climate Crisis Fight

As the courtroom seats began filling in the first judicial court in Helena, the capital city of Montana, local community members and officials prepared to hear the long-awaited testimonies from plaintiffs who allege state officials have violated their constitutional...