The White House is seeking another $37.7 billion from Congress to bolster aid to Ukraine as it continues its fight against Russia. If passed, that would bring the total U.S. aid to that embattled nation to more than $100 billion this year.
The proposed Ukraine assistance includes $21.7 billion for the Department of Defense that will be spent on “equipment for Ukraine, replenishment of Department of Defense stocks, and for continued military, intelligence and other defense support, $14.5 billion for the State Department for “direct budget support to Ukraine, critical wartime investments, security assistance, to strengthen global food security, and for humanitarian assistance,” $626 million for the Department of Energy “for nuclear security support to Ukraine and for modernizing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve,” and $900 million for the Department of Health and Human Services “to provide standard assistance health care and support services to Ukrainian parolees,” per the fact sheet, according to CNN.
“[W]e must continue to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereignty and stand resolute in the face of Russia’s brutal war,” Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda D. Young wrote Tuesday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). “Since the beginning of Putin’s war, the United States has rallied the world to support Ukraine. Together, with strong, bipartisan support in the Congress, we have provided significant assistance that has been critical to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield—and we cannot let that support run dry.”
So far, about 75% of the funds previously provided by the Congress for Ukraine have been disbursed or committed, with even more expected by the end of the year, Young wrote.
“That is why we are urging the Congress to provide additional appropriations to ensure Ukraine has the funding, weapons, and support it needs to defend itself, and that vulnerable people continue to receive lifesaving aid. The request also addresses the critical global food and energy shortages caused by Russia’s invasion.”
With Republican set to take over the House of Representatives, there are concerns that Ukraine won’t receive the same level of funding as it currently enjoys with the Democrats controlling the White House and both legislative chambers.
Before the exact details of the White House request emerged, the conservative Concerned Veterans For America and 12 other groups on Tuesday sent a letter to Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) opposing “another massive aid package to Ukraine.”
“It would be a colossal mistake for Congressional leaders to use this lame-duck session to fast-track yet another massive aid package to Ukraine as the United States faces historic inflation and a $31 trillion national debt,” the groups wrote. “To put it in perspective, this aid package could bring total U.S. Congressional assistance to Ukraine to over $100 billion – more than most countries’ annual defense budget.
“The United States should not continue to write a blank check to Ukraine at the expense of hardworking American taxpayers while wealthy European countries refuse to match our contributions for a war taking place in their backyard. Before any additional aid is approved, the 118th Congress should have the opportunity to both debate and examine how additional funding will benefit U.S. interests and what a sound strategy looks like to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine.”
Before heading into today’s news from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can get caught up on our previous rolling coverage here.
The Latest
As Ukraine struggles to restore power after what officials there say was the most massive Russian missile attack since Vladimir Putin launched his all-out invasion, authorities in Poland, the U.S., NATO and elsewhere are trying to figure out what kind of missile landed on Polish territory killing two people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pointed out that about 10 million Ukrainians are without electricity as the result of today’s strikes, he had particularly high praise for the newly delivered U.S.-provided National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missiles Systems, or NASAMS air defense systems that he said shot down 10 Russian missiles out of 10 tries.
Overall, Ukrainian air defenses shot down a total of 73 Russian missiles, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said.
Meanwhile, there is still fierce fighting taking place around Ukraine.
As we predicted last week, it appears that Russian forces that fled to the east side of the Dnipro River are reinforcing Moscow’s position in Donetsk, where some of the most brutal fighting of this conflict has taken place in and around the town of Bakhmut.
Here are some key takeaways from the latest assessment from the Institute for the Study of War:
- The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) escalated claims of Russian territorial gains in Donetsk Oblast on Nov. 13 and 14, likely to emphasize that Russian forces are intensifying operations in Donetsk Oblast following their withdrawal from the right bank of Kherson Oblast.
- Russian milbloggers seized on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Nov. 14 visit to Kherson City to criticize Russian military capacity more substantively than in previous days during the Russian withdrawal from the right bank of Kherson Oblast.
- Wagner Group financier Yevgeniy Prigozhin continues to establish himself as a highly independent, Stalinist warlord in Russia, becoming an even more prominent figure within the nationalist pro-war community.
- Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations on the Svatove-Kreminna line and clashed with Russian troops near Bilohorivka.
- Russian forces unsuccessfully attempted to regain positions in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast.
- Russian forces intensified offensive operations in Donetsk Oblast and claimed to have gained territory around Bakhmut and southwest of Donetsk City.
- Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian troops launched an unsuccessful raid onto the Kinburn Spit.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin signed additional decrees refining mobilization protocols and expanding military recruitment provisions, likely in an ongoing effort to reinforce Russian war efforts.
- Russian occupation officials continued to drive the “evacuation” and forced relocation of residents in occupied territories and took efforts to move occupation elements farther from the Dnipro River.
In the wake of their move across the Dnipro, Russian troops are operating some nine to 12 miles beyond that waterway to avoid shelling by Ukrainian forces, the head of the joint press center of Operational Command South said Tuesday. As we reported last week, the taking of Kherson and the west bank of the Dnipro puts Ukrainian HIMARS operators nearly within range of Crimea and in range of most Russian forces in occupied Ukrainian territory to the southeast of Kherson that it took after Feb. 24th.
Speaking at the G-20 summit in Bali Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky likened the recapture of Kherson City to the allied invasion of Normandy during WWII. He also laid out his 10-point peace plan, which you can read more about here.
Perhaps energized by the victory in Kherson City, kids in Russian-occupied Berdyansk were recorded taking down a Russian flag.
On the battlefield, intense fighting continues and emerges continue to emerge of wrecked weapons of war, like these four destroyed Russian 152mm 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled guns.
Bakhmut in Donetsk has been largely obliterated after fierce fighting as Russia continues its efforts to try and capture it.
Ukraine continues to capture Russian equipment, which often comes in handy, even when some of it, like this Russian T-62 tank, is older than most of the people fighting for either side.
And when it’s not capturing Russian equipment, Ukraine continues to find innovative ways to fight like these troops here, who apparently turned a truck into a makeshift mobile launcher for U.K.-donated Brimstone ground attack missiles. You can read our piece on this system when it first emerged here.
It appears that drones, and maybe soon short-range ballistic missiles, aren’t the only things Russia is getting from Iran to aid its war on Ukraine.
Russian troops are apparently wearing Iranian kit.
Ukraine released a montage 100 foreign volunteers who died helping Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Back in June, a Russian unit was blown up by its own anti-tank mine. New video has emerged from that incident.
That’s it for now. We will update this story if there is anything major to add until our next new update is published.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com