Russian Defense Assistance to Ukraine: After a Deluge of Missiles, U.S. Security Assistance and the Decay of the Kerch Bridge

President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday after a deluge of Russian missiles targeted cities across Ukraine, condemning the strikes and pledging continued US security assistance “including advanced air defense systems.”

Biden, the statement said, “also underscored his ongoing engagement with allies and partners to continue imposing costs on Russia, holding Russia accountable for its war crimes and atrocities, and providing Ukraine with security, economic, and humanitarian assistance.”

A second administration official gave the summary of the air defense aid the US gave to Ukraine. We let the Allies transfer their air defense systems to Ukraine, including Slovakia’s transfer of the S-300 system in April. In August, the president announced a new assistance package for the Ukranians that included orders for 8 new NASAMS. We will continue to provide Ukraine with what it needs to defend itself.”

As of a Department of Defense briefing in late September, the US had yet to deliver NASAMS to Ukraine. At that time, he was the brigadier. The two systems that will be delivered in the next two months were predicted to be the first of nine that will be delivered.

Russia launched a total of 84 cruise missiles against targets across Ukraine on Monday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook post.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the strikes were a response to what he described as acts of “terrorism” by Kyiv. He blamed the explosion on the Kerch Bridge on the special services in Ukraine and said there were a number of other “crimes.”

Kuleba said that the claims are nonsense because Putin uses missile terror to try to change the pace of war in his favor. According to the Ukrainian defense intelligence agency, Russia had been planning a large-scale missile strike on Ukraine since early last week.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, also recently said he thinks Moscow should aim for the “complete dismantling” of Zelensky’s “regime.”

A National Security Council spokesman said Monday there will likely be additional support forUkraine in the near future.

Kirby told Kate that it was clear he was feeling the pressure both at home and overseas.

Last week, Biden warned of the dangers of Putin’s nuclear threats, and said that the world could be in for Armageddon. But multiple US officials have said the comment was not based on any new intelligence about Putin’s intentions or changes in Russia’s nuclear posture.

But Milley’s position is not widely backed by President Joe Biden’s national security team, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, neither of whom believe it’s time to make a serious push for talks over Ukraine, according to two administration officials familiar with the discussion.

The result is a growing debate inside the administration over whether Ukraine’s recent gains on the battlefield should spark a renewed effort to seek some sort of negotiated end to the fighting, according to officials.

In recent days, Milley has been pushing for peace, just as the city of Kherson is reclaimed by the Ukrainians. In comments at the Economic Club of New York on Wednesday, Milley praised the Ukrainian army for fighting Russia to a stalemate, but said that an outright military victory is out of reach.

The comments left administration officials unsurprised but also raised concern over the fact that the administration was seen as divided in the eyes of the Kremlin.

The internal debate comes as senior US officials – including Sullivan – have in recent weeks been urging Ukraine to signal that it is still open to diplomatic discussions with Russia, even after Zelensky signed a decree in early October ruling out negotiations with Putin.

Milley tried to make it clear to officials that he doesn’t want a capitulation, but he believes now is an ideal time to end the war before it gets out of hand.

There isn’t a widespread view of that across the administration. One official explained that the State Department is on the opposite side of the pole from Milley. That dynamic has led to a unique situation where military brass are more fervently pushing for diplomacy than US diplomats.

Milley’s position comes as the US military has dug deep into US weapons stockpiles to support the Ukrainians and is currently scouring the globe for materials to support Ukraine heading into winter – such as heaters and generators – which has raised concerns about how long this war can be sustained, officials said.

The US intends to buy 100,000 rounds of artillery ammunition from South Korean arms manufacturers to provide to Ukraine, a US official said, part of a broader effort to find available weaponry for the high-intensity battles unfolding in Ukraine. As part of the deal, the US will purchase 100,000 rounds of 155mm howitzer ammunition, which will then be transferred to Ukraine through the US.

State Department Discussion on the Status of the U.S. Anti-Proton-Battle Plan for the 2016 Ukrainian Missile Defense Campaign

State Department spokesperson Ned Price would not say Thursday whether the State Department agrees with Milley’s position. Price ignored the fact that the US sides with Zelensky who has argued that a diplomatic solution is needed.

“The onus remains on Moscow to demonstrate not only through word but also in deed that it is ready to negotiate, it is ready to meet what the world has very clearly heard from our Ukrainian partners, and that they are ready and willing to sit down and engage in good faith.”

“The United States is going to be with Ukraine for as long as it takes in this fight,” Sullivan said in a recent visit to Ukraine. There will be no wavering, no flags and no flinching in our support as we go forward.

Two US officials and a senior administration official said that the Biden administration is close to making a decision on sending the missile defense system to Ukraine.

The plan needs to be approved by the secretary of defense before it can be sent to the president. Three officials told CNN that they were expecting approval.

It is not clear how many missile launchers will be sent but a typical Patriot battery includes a radar set that detects and tracks targets, computers, power generating equipment, an engagement control station and up to eight launchers, each holding four ready to fire missiles.

There are many unanswered questions regarding the possible transfer, including how long it would take to train the Ukrainian soldiers on the system, and where thePatriots would be deployed.

“And we’re working to make sure that the Ukrainians get those systems as quickly as possible but also as effectively as possible, making sure that they are trained on them, making sure they have the ability to maintain them and all of that has to come together and it is. We have a very deliberate process established by the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Ramstein, Germany, that meets regularly to make sure that the Ukrainians are getting what they need, when they need it.”

The bigger the batteries, the more personnel are required to properly operate them. The training of the missiles takes a long time and the US will now have to carry out the training in the face of constant attacks from Russia.

The system is considered one of the best long-range weapons to defend airspace against incoming missiles as well as some aircraft. Russian missiles and aircraft can be shot down far from their intended targets, because of its long-range and high-altitude capability.

In recent years, the US sent missiles to Saudi Arabia and Iraq to counter threats from Iran and its allies in the region and to deter North Korea.

WASHINGTON — The United States is nearing approval of sending a most advanced ground-based airdefense system to Ukranian to help protect it from Russian missile and drones, according to two U.S. officials.

According to the officials, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III could approve a directive as early as this week to transfer a battery to Ukraine. Final approval would then rest with President Biden.

White House, Pentagon and State Department officials declined to comment on details of the transfer of a Patriot battery, which, if approved, would amount to one of the most sophisticated weapons the U.S. has provided Ukraine.

In a speech to the Group of 7 nations on Monday, Mr. Zelensky thanked the countries for their continued support but listed financing for weapons first among his requests.

Zelensky is already on his way to Washington, two separate sources said, for a visit that marks his first trip outside of Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February of this year.

He’s delivered those appeals virtually, beaming into international summits and global legislatures to make his case for more weapons and funding. He stayed inside his country for the duration of the war as a reflection of his desire to rally his besieged country and the precarious security situation he would face outside Ukraine.

According to his office, Zelensky handed out awards to soldiers. The president was giving awards to troops in the video posted by state TV. Bakhmut has seen some of the most ferocious fighting in the whole of the country since Russian forces launched their siege on the city in earnest in May, turning it into ruins.

Pelosi and Zelensky: Addressing Democracy During the Holidays in Washington D.C.P., New Jersey, N.Y.

Pelosi has been making calls to members urging them to show up to the Capitol on Wednesday over fears the chamber would be empty ahead of the holiday recess, one member said. Pelosi asked for members to be in attendance Wednesday night “for a very special focus on Democracy.”

Zelensky will address Congress on Wednesday according to several sources. But the sources caution that this may not be final yet over security concerns.