Thursday, the Biden administration stated that Ukraine will get an extra $375 million for security. A U.S. defense official told ABC News that this will be the first time that American Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) glide bombs are sent to Ukraine.
The new F-16 jets in Ukraine can drop the bombs, which have wings that can be folded back and stretch up to 70 miles. There are different types of JSOW, but the official said that the ones being sent to Ukraine are equipped with cluster bombs.
The official told ABC News on Wednesday that the U.S. will soon give Ukraine more than $2 billion in help through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). The $350 million package will use American stockpiles to get tools for Ukraine.
USAI funds, on the other hand, are used to sign contracts for help, which can take months or even years to come through. The source said that most of the new USAI funds will be used to buy more weapons for Ukraine.
The promise to send JSOW glide bombs comes at a time when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the US to push for support from around the world.
He spoke to the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday and plans to present what he calls his “victory plan” to President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday.
When he talked to Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” on Monday, Zelenskyy said, “The plan of victory is strengthening of Ukraine.” So, we’re asking our partners and friends to help us get stronger. It’s really important.”
Before his meeting with Biden, Zelenskyy hasn’t talked about the specifics of his win plan in public, but he has said that it includes specific requests for military supplies and ideas for how Ukraine could be protected after the war. That includes inviting Ukraine to join NATO, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff said this week.
ABC News spoke with a person close to the president of Ukraine who said the plan has five main parts. Four of them need to be carried out right now, and the fifth will be done after the war is over. There are also exact numbers and amounts of military aid in the plan.
Last week, former President Donald Trump said that he would “probably” meet with Zelenskyy. However, people close to the situation say that this meeting is no longer expected.