$126 Billion Committed to Ukraine Security Assistance
As Ukraine finds itself in its third year—and winter—of war against Russia, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III prepares for his final meeting with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), set to take place January 9 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
In a call with reporters, senior defense officials shared updates on U.S. security assistance for Ukraine.
The UDCG, dubbed Austin’s “brainchild” by officials, is a coalition led by the United States to aid Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself against Russian forces.
“By leading this capability coalition, the United States will coordinate closely with Ukraine and other partners with the focus on developing Ukraine’s F-16 fighter aircraft capabilities,” Austin said during his UDCG announcement in October 2023.
Since its inception, the group has grown from 30 member countries to 50 gathering at the upcoming UDCG meeting.
“At this point, the United States, allies and partners collectively have committed more than $126 billion in security assistance to Ukraine,” an official stated.
For the United States, the number includes two Patriot batteries; air defense systems; hundreds of interceptors; dozens of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, also known as HIMARS; thousands of associated ammunitions, including Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and Army Tactical Missile Systems; hundreds of artillery systems; millions of artillery rounds; thousands of armored vehicles; over 100,000 anti-tank weapons; and hundreds of millions of rounds of small arms ammunition. Additionally, the nation has committed a “significant quantity of drones,” the official said.
Allies and partners have provided further air defense systems, including Patriot systems “or components for those systems that many countries, some of whom prefer to remain anonymous,” use.
Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Italy, however, were named in recognition for their assistance in providing the Sol-Air Moyenne Portée Terrestre (SAMP/T) system, which is the “cornerstone of Italy and France’s contributions to the North Atlantic Alliance tactical ballistic missile defense capability,” according to Thales.
The senior defense official also noted that with the help of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, the UDCG has established Ukraine’s F-16 capability by committing to provide 79 jets. Canada, Denmark, France, Romania and the United Kingdom are also training Ukrainian pilots.
“This coalition has surged critical munitions, including Soviet legacy ammunition that enabled the Ukrainians to use both legacy and donated artillery systems to defend their country, but also NATO standard modern artillery systems, including a Czech initiative, which has coordinated the delivery of hundreds of thousands of rounds of 155 millimeter ammunition from a dozen countries with European financing,” the official stated.
European countries have also furnished hundreds of main battle tanks and thousands of armed vehicles, including Leopard tanks.
An October 2024 open-source investigation by Defense News reported Russia’s delivery of a captured Ukrainian Leopard tank to Uralvagonzavod (Ural Wagon Factory) in Russia for a deep analysis of its components.
In its final days, the current administration was faced with questions about the remaining money committed to Ukraine’s security assistance.
“There will be a few billion dollars in authority left for the incoming administration to decide what to do with that remaining authority,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a January 8 press briefing. Ukraine has bipartisan support in Congress, she noted.
Further announcements are expected to be made at the 25th UDCG meeting.
