White House unveils $300M Ukraine aid package that uses U.S. weapons stockpiles

March 12 (UPI) -- The Biden administration on Tuesday unveiled plans to provide a further $300 million in military aid for Ukraine's war with Russia.

On Tuesday, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan noted that "unanticipated cost savings" with Department of Defense military contracts lead to a "modest amount of funding available" in one-time, cost-saving measures to aid Ukraine "without impacting U.S. military readiness."

The package going to Ukraine will contain a number of weaponry systems and parts such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, additional ammunition for HIMARS, 155 millimeter artillery rounds, including high explosive and dual purpose improved cluster munition rounds.

"This ammunition will keep Ukraine's guns firing for a period but only a short period," Sullivan said during a news conference at the White House, adding that "it is nowhere near enough to meet Ukraine's battlefield needs and it will not prevent Ukraine from running out of ammunition in the weeks to come."

The new aid package was created through presidential authority that will pull weapons from current U.S. military equipment stockpiles and come as Ukraine's plea for help in its ongoing military campaign against Russia.

Sullivan -- who noted the package will only help Ukraine "for a period, but only a short period" -- again urged the Republican-controlled House lead by Speaker Mike Johnson to pass the bipartisan $95 billion Ukranian aid package which passed the Democrat-controlled Senate in February in what Sullivan called a "critical need."

"It is nowhere near enough to meet Ukraine's battlefield needs and it will not prevent Ukraine from running out of ammunition in the weeks to come. It goes without saying, this package does not displace and should not delay the critical need to pass the bipartisan national security bill," the U.S. national security adviser commented.