Evan Bucci/AP
After overcoming months of Republican opposition in Congress, President Biden on Wednesday signed a $95 billion military aid package that will arm Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
“We are stronger when our allies are stronger,” Biden said in a speech at the White House.
“We will ensure that deliveries begin immediately in the coming hours, literally hours,” he added, referring to Ukraine.
The president also reiterated his strong support for Israel.
“My commitment to Israel remains unwavering,” President Trump said. He cited recent Iranian airstrikes against Israel, which involved more than 300 drones and missiles but caused minimal damage.
Biden has been harshly criticized by many on the left for supporting additional military aid to Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. According to Gaza health authorities, the Palestinian death toll is more than 34,000, most of them civilians.
Biden noted that the bill includes $9 billion in global humanitarian assistance, including $1 billion for the Gaza Strip.
“We will immediately secure support and surge it,” Biden said. “Israel must ensure that all this aid reaches the Palestinians in Gaza without delay.”
Most of the money is in Ukraine
Hardline Republicans in the House have blocked the bill since Biden proposed it last fall. But the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on Saturday, and there was an equally lopsided vote in the Senate on Tuesday.
Aid to Ukraine totals $60.8 billion, almost two-thirds of the total. This is seen as urgent in Ukraine's efforts to push back or at least hold a line against Russian forces that have gained the upper hand in recent months.
The Pentagon immediately announced more than 20 different types of weapons and military equipment to be sent to Ukraine in an initial tranche worth about $1 billion.
The list includes two types of weapons that Ukraine says it urgently needs.
One is a shell. The ground battle in eastern Ukraine is largely an artillery battle, and Russia has a huge advantage.
Ukrainian military officers said the Russian shells outnumbered the Ukrainian shells by 10 times. They say Ukraine had to ration artillery shells and in some cases had to retreat when it ran out of ammunition. This has allowed the Russians to go on the offensive in recent months, but the gains on the battlefield have been minimal.
The second key weapon is anti-aircraft missiles. Ukraine's limited air defenses have performed very well over the past two years, according to military analysts, but have recently made it vulnerable to attacks on its cities and power grid.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had recently launched 11 missiles in a sustained attack on a civilian power plant outside the capital Kiev.
He said Ukrainian forces shot down the first seven missiles but were running out of weapons. The last four Russian missiles hit the power plant and caused a power outage.
Ukraine is also hoping to receive ATACMS, an advanced American missile that can travel a distance of nearly 200 miles.
Ukraine has been demanding these weapons. The Biden administration has not publicly announced it will provide one, and it was not included in the list released Wednesday by the Defense Department.
Britain sent similar missiles, the Storm Shadow, which are said to have hit Russian bases and ships far behind the front line.
John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said the military package was about more than sending arms to Ukraine.
“Over the past few months, we have witnessed the remarkable sight of leaders in Europe, Japan, and elsewhere appealing to the United States to act as the leader of the free world,” said Herbst, who is now at the Atlantic Council. “This is unprecedented since World War II. It is not a good look for the United States. There is no way in the world we can give Ukraine the same amount of aid as we have provided over the past two years,” he said. [Russian leader Vladimir] “Putin can win this war,” he said.
Ukraine expected to attack Crimea and Black Sea
Military analysts do not expect major changes on Ukraine's eastern front. Despite continued fighting, both sides were pinned down and the front lines had barely moved for the past 18 months.
Ukraine's main goal is to stabilize the situation in the region.
According to Herbst, weapons supplied by the United States and European countries could improve Ukraine's prospects in the south, especially in Crimea and the Black Sea.
“Putin has real vulnerabilities in Crimea and southern Ukraine,” he said. “He needs to supply troops there. Ukraine could disrupt Russian military operations by making that supply route much less efficient.”
Ukraine launched a massive offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine last summer, but achieved only modest results, falling far short of expectations.
Hearst said it was currently unlikely that the influx of American weapons would dictate the outcome of the war. He believes no realistic solution can be found in the near future, either on the battlefield or through negotiations.
But he said U.S. support sends a strong signal and will provide Ukraine with the resources to continue fighting this year and beyond.