Washington (CNN)Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address members of Congress virtually on Wednesday to urge the United States for more support as his country tries to counter the Russian invasion.
The last time Russia invaded Ukraine, then-President Petro Poroshenko also addressed a joint session of Congress and famously said in 2014 that “you can’t win the war with blankets,” as part of an emotional plea for help arming his troops. In response, the Obama administration announced $46 million in security aid to Ukraine, which included body armor and night vision goggles, but no lethal aid.
Former President Donald Trump over the weekend criticized Obama and Biden’s aid efforts for Ukraine by saying, “They sent blankets. I sent javelins.”
Facts first: Despite Trump’s complicated history of helping Ukraine, it is a misleading simplification to claim that his predecessor failed to provide military aid to Ukraine. While the Trump administration was first to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine, the Obama administration provided defense and military equipment. As of March 2015, the US had $75 million worth of equipment Pentagon Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
As President Joe Biden ponders what additional assistance he might provide to Ukraine in its recent struggle with Russia, here is a look at the assistance the US has previously provided to Ukraine.
Since Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, the US has pledged more than $3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. Those aid packages included military equipment to “improve Ukraine’s defense capabilities,” according to a March 14 report by the Congressional Research Service.
Through the President’s Drawdown Authority and the Department of Defense’s Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, the US has provided sniper rifles, grenade launchers, javelins and handguns in addition to basic non-lethal equipment. Notably, the Biden administration sent Stinger anti-aircraft weapons as part of the first PDA package of 2022 and has committed to diverting Mi-17 helicopters originally destined for Afghanistan through the Excess Defense Articles program.
According to a statement by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Feb. 26, the United States gave Ukraine more than $1 billion in total security assistance last year.
In 2021, Blinken approved $260 million in military aid to Ukraine, and after the invasion began, he approved an additional $350 million aid package of “immediate assistance” to Ukraine.
Biden administration officials have said they will continue to send security aid to Ukraine even as the Russian invasion continues. Just last week, Congress approved a $13.6 billion emergency aid package for Ukraine, and lawmakers have signaled bipartisan support for more aid.
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