After Call With Allies, Biden Says US Will Send More Artillery to Ukraine

 

German Chancellor Scholz announced a plan to send more weapons to Ukraine by enlisting German arms makers

by Dave DeCamp 

Posted onApril 19, 2022CategoriesNewsTagsUkraine

After holding a call Tuesday with US allies on the war in Ukraine, President Biden told reporters that the US will send more artillery to Ukrainian forces.

The Biden administration is providing Ukraine with heavy artillery for the first time as part of a new $800 million military aid package that was announced last week. The package includes howitzers, which the US will train Ukrainian forces to use in an undisclosed location outside of Ukraine.

According to the White House, Biden held a call with EU officials, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Poland, Japan, and Romania. The White House said the leaders discussed their “coordinated efforts to impose severe economic costs to hold Russia accountable.”

After the call, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also announced a plan to get more arms in the hands of Ukrainians. The German military has exhausted its weapons stockpiles, so Scholz is turning to private arms makers for new deliveries.

“We asked the German defense industry to tell us what equipment it can deliver quickly,” Scholz said. “Ukraine made a selection from this list and we’ll make the necessary money available to pay for it.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday that London was looking at ways to provide Ukraine with anti-ship missiles. One idea Johnson floated involves Brimstone missiles, which the UK has used in its wars in Libya and Syria.

Britain has been one of the most eager NATO members when it comes to arming and assisting Ukraine in its war against Russia. The Times reported that British Special Air Service (SAS) troops have been in Kyiv for about two weeks, where they are training Ukrainian forces to use anti-tank missiles London provided. The presence of British troops in Ukraine risks provoking Moscow, which has formally warned the US and NATO to stop pouring weapons into the country.

https://news.antiwar.com/2022/04/19/after-call-with-allies-biden-says-us-will-send-more-artillery-to-ukraine/