The Biden administration announced a new arms package for Ukraine after months of warnings that there was no money left

(CNN) — The Biden administration announced another military aid package for Ukraine of up to $300 million on Tuesday, after months of warning that there was no money left, with officials saying the new funding was made possible as a result of savings on military contracts.

National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan announced the package at a White House briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

“When Russian troops move in and fire their weapons, Ukraine doesn’t have enough ammunition to respond. It’s costing land. It’s costing lives. And it’s costing us, the United States and the NATO alliance strategically. ,” Sullivan said.

US President Joe Biden later echoed similar sentiments, saying the package was “not nearly enough” and that Congress needed to approve additional funding.

Speaking alongside Poland’s prime minister and president, Biden said, “We must literally act before it’s too late, before it’s too late, because as Poland remembers, Russia will not stop in Ukraine.” “In my opinion, Putin will continue to endanger Europe, the United States and the entire free world.”

Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said Tuesday that the package would include “Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, additional ammunition for HIMARS, 155-millimeter artillery shells, high-explosive and enhanced dual-purpose cluster shells, 105-millimeter artillery, including AT4 anti- -Tank systems, additional rounds of small arms ammunition, explosives, obstacle clearance ammunition, spare parts, maintenance and other support equipment.

A Ukrainian soldier holds an artillery shell near the city of Kreminna, Ukraine, on March 4, 2024. (Credit: Inna Varenitsya/Reuters)

Explaining how the Defense Department now has money available for aid to Ukraine, a senior defense official said: “We had savings that would allow us to offset the cost of the new withdrawal package.”

The Pentagon had the authority to withdraw nearly $4 billion owed to send weapons and equipment directly from Department of Defense stockpiles to Ukraine. But the Pentagon was reluctant to use those funds because there was no replacement money left to replenish American stockpiles.

According to another senior defense official, the result of “good negotiations” and “bundling of funds across different items,” the savings provided the Pentagon with an additional $300 million to be used as replacement funding to support aid sent to Kiev. .

Sullivan said the new package was possible because of “unexpected savings on the contract the Defense Department negotiated to replace equipment we had already sent to Ukraine through a previous withdrawal.”

The official cited the example of being able to purchase 25mm ammunition at a cheaper price than originally expected after negotiating a contract with a supplier.

US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hold a joint news conference in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House on December 12, 2023 in Washington. (Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP)

But he also made clear that this is not a sustainable long-term solution to providing Ukraine with much-needed weapons, as Republican leaders in the House of Representatives continue to refuse to vote on a bill providing additional military aid.

“This is a slightly improvised or unique opportunity,” said the first officer. “We don’t know when the savings will come in the future. And we certainly can’t count on this as a way of doing business.

“We weren’t broke then, but we are now.”

Sullivan said the package would provide Ukraine with enough ammunition for the last week, and perhaps only “two weeks” and “will not prevent Ukraine from running out of ammunition in the coming weeks.”

“It goes without saying that this package does not change and should not delay the critical need to pass a bipartisan national security bill,” Sullivan said.

The latest US aid package for Ukraine was announced in late December. At the time, the Pentagon said in a letter to Congress that the Department of Defense would “terminate the funds available to us for security assistance” after the package was announced.

Asked whether this new aid package would ease pressure on Congress to pass a companion bill that would include billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine, another official said: “It shouldn’t.”

“This project is absolutely critical for our preparation and for Ukraine to win this conflict. This doesn’t change that at all. “It’s a relatively small package to give Ukraine, the minimum it needs for a short period of time.”

This is not the first time the Pentagon has announced additional and unexpected sources of funding for Ukraine. Last year, the Department of Defense announced that it had discovered an accounting error that led to the Department of Defense providing $6.2 billion in aid to Ukraine. That extra money provided the department with a cushion that allowed it to extend military aid to Ukraine longer than expected, CNN previously reported.

Without U.S. support and arms supplies, Ukraine lost a war with Russia, outnumbered and outgunned by an adversary that shifted its economy to a full-fledged war footing. Last month, Russian forces raised their flag in Avdiivka, eastern Ukraine, after a month-long offensive.

As Ukraine loses ground, the Biden administration urges the House of Representatives to act on a $60 billion supplement, which has already been approved by the Senate.

“We believe the support is still there if the House is allowed to vote,” another defense official said. But House Republican leadership has refused to bring the bill to a vote, forcing the Pentagon to think differently about how to send aid to Ukraine.

“If you are not sure that you will get help, then you have to make a different risk calculation on how to proceed,” the official said.