Biden unveils $800 million security package for Ukraine in call with Zelensky

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

    (CNN) -- President Joe Biden on Wednesday told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the US was sending his nation an additional $800 million worth of weapons, ammunition and other security assistance.

It comes as US officials warn of a potentially bloody new phase in the ongoing war, focused on the eastern regions of Ukraine as Russia withdraws its troops from the area around the capital Kyiv.

"The Ukrainian military has used the weapons we are providing to devastating effect. As Russia prepares to intensify its attack in the Donbas region, the United States will continue to provide Ukraine with the capabilities to defend itself," Biden said in a statement.

Biden detailed the new announcement in a midday telephone call with Zelensky that lasted for about an hour.

"Continued constant dialogue with @POTUS. Assessed Russian war crimes. Discussed additional package of defensive and possible macro-financial aid. Agreed to enhance sanctions," Zelensky wrote on Twitter.

The package will include new types of weapons as well as the types of equipment the US has provided to Ukraine for weeks.

The new equipment includes "artillery systems, artillery rounds and armored personnel carriersm," the statement from Biden read.

"I have also approved the transfer of additional helicopters," he said.

An earlier draft list of the shipment that had been sent to Congress included MI-17 helicopters, coastal sea drones, howitzers, armored vehicles and other weapons.

As of Tuesday night, two sources said helicopters had been removed from the list, though Biden indicated in his statement they were ultimately included.

The $800 million shipment brings the total amount of military assistance the US has provided to Ukraine to more than $3 billion. Ukraine's 2020 defense budget was only about $6 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. In less than two months, the US has provided nearly half of that in security assistance, underscoring the pace at which the White House has worked to send in weaponry and equipment.

Delivery of earlier packages was still being completed as the new one was announced. The US expects a remaining number of the first 100 Switchblade drone systems to get into Ukraine "over the course of the next day," according to a senior US defense official.

The official also said that another shipment of Javelin anti-tank missiles from the US is expected to get to Ukraine in the next 24 hours. The US also has helped coordinate two airlift deliveries from two other nations into Ukraine, the official said during an off-camera briefing Wednesday.

Switchblade drones are small, portable drones that carry warheads and detonate on impact. The smallest model can hit a target up to six miles away, according to the company that produces the drones.

"The steady supply of weapons the United States and its allies and partners have provided to Ukraine has been critical in sustaining its fight against the Russian invasion. It has helped ensure that Putin failed in his initial war aims to conquer and control Ukraine. We cannot rest now. As I assured President Zelenskyy, the American people will continue to stand with the brave Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom," Biden wrote in a statement.

The new tranche of money for Ukraine comes as the Pentagon is set to convene a meeting of its top weapons makers Wednesday to discuss the industry's capacity to support Ukraine in a protracted war with Russia, according to a defense official and an industry official.

The classified discussion will include proposals to speed up the production of existing systems and develop new systems critical to the Defense Department's assistance to Ukraine and to allies, the defense official said.

The meeting will bring together the top eight prime defense contractors, such as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and others. It is "part of our ongoing, frequent dialogue with industry partners to ensure a resilient industrial base that is responsive to the Department's needs," the official said.

The meeting will bring together the top eight prime defense contractors, including General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, among others. It is "part of our ongoing, frequent dialogue with industry partners to ensure a resilient industrial base that is responsive to the Department's needs," the official said.

The sense of things, the official said, is the US is "assuming this is going to be a years-long endeavor" in a scenario where, at a minimum, Ukraine will not able to safely manufacture weapons in its own country.

But in the meeting, the official said, the contractors are likely to bring up the serious challenges still facing defense manufacturing in the US, including ongoing and severe supply chain issues and a lack of affordable labor. All of this continues to constrict defense manufacturing capacity and could grow worse as increased defense spending in the budget and Ukraine contracts vie for manufacturing capacity, the official said.

The issue of capacity is also impacting the manufacture of critical ammunition supplies, even though most of it is done in government-owned, contractor-operated facilities.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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