(NewsNation) — American-made missiles are being used in Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty and survival against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has delivered emotional pleas for military assistance from the U.S. And in return, President Joe Biden laid out a wide range of weapons and equipment that America will provide to help Ukraine beat back the Russian invasion.
Among the newly promised weapons and equipment are American-made Javelin and Stinger missiles.
— 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems
— 2,000 surface-to-air Javelin missiles, which can be shoulder-launched or fired from a launcher
Shy of the MiG-29 fighter jets Zelenskyy has been asking for, U.S. missiles have been deemed essential in defending Ukraine’s besieged cities against Russian advancements.
So much so, the Pentagon may have to ask Congress for additional money to replenish America’s arsenal of missiles that have so far been sent to Kyiv, officials said.
“We need additional weaponry for Ukraine to be able to protect itself,” said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze people’s deputy of Ukraine.
The weapons come from existing U.S. stockpiles, meaning manufacturers are having to gear up to feed the increased demand of the war effort.
The Pentagon says Javelin systems are being produced now while the production line for Stinger systems is currently ramping up.
Missiles built in Troy, Alabama, have made their way to the war-torn country.
A defense reporter with the Kyiv Independent posted images this week showing a stockpile of U.S.-made missiles.
According to defense contractor Lockheed Martin, weapons produced at the Troy facility include the Javelin, the terminal high-altitude area defense missile, the joint air-to-surface standoff missile and other air-to-ground weaponry.
“Proudly made in Alabama,” the state’s governor tweeted.
And now the U.S. is exploring options to more quickly replenish its inventories and backfill depleted stocks and that of its allies, noting that assistance to Ukraine is ongoing.
“Material is getting into the region every single day, including over the last 24 hours,” said Pentagon press secretary John F. Kirby. “We are in the first half a dozen shipments of what will probably be around 30 or so of this $800 million dollars that the president signed out. It is already moving into the region. We’re doing the best we can to prioritize the kinds of material we know the Ukrainians need the most.”
A group of women members of the Ukrainian Parliament met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week to press for more U.S. assistance to help the embattled nation.
“In order to kick the Russians away from the territories they gained, we need the weapons, artillery, tanks to do that,” said Yevheniya Kravchuk, member of the Ukrainian Parliament.
The Associated Press contributed to this repot.