Washington (CNN)President Joe Biden is expected to announce an additional $800 million in security aid to Ukraine on Wednesday, a White House official told CNN, bringing the total announced just last week to $1 billion.
The military aid package will include anti-tank missiles and other defensive weapons already provided by the US, including Javelin anti-tank and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, officials familiar with the plans said. However, aid will stop short of the no-fly zone or fighter jets, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said are necessary to sustain Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
The news of the additional aid, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, comes as the White House continues to face intense pressure from Congress and Zelensky to find new ways to help Ukraine. Ukraine’s president, who remains in his country, will address US members of Congress remotely at 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday, where he is expected to renew calls for more support.
Biden will make his own comments later on Wednesday.
Given that Zelensky is expected to be specific in his requests, officials also expect Biden to say exactly what help the new $800 million in Ukraine will be used for, including possibly the armed drones Zelensky is asking for Has.
Officials have declined to confirm whether armed drones are included in Biden’s remarks or whether a decision has been finalized.
The $800 million in security aid comes from the massive spending bill the president signed into law Tuesday that totals $13.6 billion in new aid to Ukraine.
The Biden administration will seek to get those hundreds of millions in new aid into Ukraine as quickly as possible, with the president noting on Tuesday that getting new supplies into Ukraine is becoming “extraordinarily difficult” even though they are trying to do so still be able.
In a mark of the speed at which US officials are trying to move aid, the government has transferred about $300 million of the $350 million recently approved by Biden for Ukraine in just over two weeks.
As the Russian invasion rages on, Zelenskyy has been pressuring Biden and NATO to do more, expressing frustration at Western allies’ concerns about provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian head of state described Article 5, the principle that an attack on one NATO country is an attack on all NATO countries, as “weak”.
“Some states of (the) Alliance have intimidated themselves and said they cannot respond. That they cannot collide with Russian missiles and planes in the Ukrainian sky. Because this, they say, will lead to an escalation, will lead to the third world war. … And what will they say if Russia advances further into Europe and attacks other countries? I’m sure they say the same thing about Ukraine,” he said. “Article 5 of the NATO treaty has never been weaker than it is now. That’s just our opinion.”
CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Natasha Bertrand, Jeremy Herb, and Katie Bo Lillis contributed to this report.
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