U.S. to send $750M in additional military aid to Ukraine

President Joe Biden is authorizing the transfer of around $750 million in additional weapons to Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion, three people familiar with the new package told POLITICO.

Using his presidential drawdown powers, Biden will give Kyiv’s forces drones, howitzers and protective equipment against possible chemical attacks along with other weapons.

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks on Tuesday told reporters that the Pentagon was looking to provide Ukraine with weapons that would "give them a little more range and distance."

Relevant congressional committees were notified of the move on Tuesday afternoon, according to two aides. The presidential drawdown authority Biden invoked was doubled in size as part of the massive $14 billion Ukraine aid package negotiated last month by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The new shipment was first reported by Reuters.

The U.S. has already delivered $2.4 billion in military assistance since Biden took office, though the vast majority of that aid has come since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

On Tuesday, Biden seemed to tell a crowd in Iowa that Russia’s actions in Ukraine amount to “genocide,” even though the administration has yet to make a formal determination.

His comments followed allegations from Ukrainian forces that Russia dropped a chemical substance in Mariupol. Those claims have yet to be verified, but if true it would be the first time such weapons were used in the war.

Biden last month vowed to respond “in kind” to such an attack, with U.S. officials considering new arms shipments to Ukraine as a retaliation.

Multiple reports indicate the administration is weighing sending Mi-17 transport helicopters that can be equipped to attack Russians, but POLITICO couldn’t confirm those details.