In a suprise visit to president Zelenskyy on Monday (2/20/23) Biden pledged additional support to Ukraine, approximately 500 million dollars worth of military aid. Biden touted the amount of military aid and support that the United States has already shown for the Ukranian military. Citing roughly 700 tanks and 1,000 different artillery peices. 

The half a billion dollars of aid includes additional ammunition for long range, high precision weapon systems such as the Javelin anti-tank missile, and the HIMARS guided rocket artillery. As well as additional radar systems to help defend from air attacks.

As well as pledging additional aid, Biden elaborated on a new wave of sanctions against Russia, which intend to target companies and oligarchs that are circumventing the existing sanctions, and supplying Russian forces through less legal means. Biden claimed he would deliver remarks on the topic in Warsaw, Poland.

The United States, so far (2/23/23) the United States had pledged a total of 25 billion dollars to Ukraine in a variety of forms, from direct money to a variety of weapons and weapon systems. Despite all of the aid he’s already rendered, US lawmakers, as well as Kiev officials are supposedly pressuring Biden into sending F-16 fighter jets as well. 

Some Republicans in Congress have argued that the aid needs to be reviewed, with some calling for the assistance to be curtailed. The primary argument for this is rising inflation, and the idea that the United States simply doesn’t have that kind of money. However, this is a minority view in congress, and the status quo of aid is unlikely to change.