For the pbs newshour, I am Nick
schifrin.
Judy: To further discuss the
U.S. Support for Ukraine and the
new weapons package president
Biden announced today, I spoke a
few moments ago with department
of defense spokesman John Kirby.
Thank you very much for joining
us.
$800 million in new military and
security aid.
Tell us what difference the
Biden administration believes
this will make in the overall
war effort?
Mr. Kirby: If your. Kirby: Look
at some of the capabilities,
there are new capabilities, and
they are designed to help
Ukraine in the now, in today's
The fight they will be having
going forward in the donbass
region.
Much more confined geographic
region where the Russians are
reprioritizing.
Take a look at the halep sirs
and the 40,000 artillery rounds
that will go with that.
The fight in the don is going to
rely on artillery.
The Russians are already moving
artillery units into the
donbass, because of the
topography.
Look at the counter battery
radar that was provided.
That will help save Ukrainian
lives.
They will be able to track
incoming artillery rounds from
the Russians.
, The unmanned surface vessels
that we will be providing to
help them with coastal defense
in the sea of dissolve or the
northern black sea.
In addition to that, there are
javelin missiles as part of this
package, which we know are
effective against Russian tanks.
Lots of capabilities near that
that are designed to help
Ukraine in the fight that they
are in right now.
Judy: The foreign minister of
Ukraine has been saying this is
the kind of thing they need in
days, not weeks.
How quickly is all of this going
to get into the hands of the
Ukrainian military?
Mr. Kirby: It can start to get
there very quickly.
We have been able, in the past,
between the time the president
authorizes something, until it
gets into Ukrainian hands, can
be as little of them less than a
week.
We will be moving with a sense
of energy and urgency.
We know the clock is not on our
side.
We know time is a factor.
We will be moving these things
as quickly as possible.
Not all of these things have to
come from the United States.
Some of this stuff will probably
come from areas where they are
pre-positioned, and closer to
Ukraine.
It may not take quite that long.
But we will be moving things as
fast as we can.
Even while we are working on
that, we are closing out the
previous $800 million that the
president signed out of the
middle of March.
Jacqueline missiles are
literally flying today and into
tomorrow on the way to Ukraine.
Judy: At the same time, we know
president zelenskyy has
repeatedly asked the allies for
military aircraft.
Why not provide that at this
critical moment?
Mr. Kirby: I would tell you
there are some nations helping
Mr. Zelenskyy with his fixed
wing aircraft fleet.
And he has more aircraft
available to them now than he
did a couple of weeks ago.
Every nationstate that does
this, does this on their own
terms.
They talk about it or they don't
talk about it.
That is their decision.
We respect that.
But he continues to be able to
put more aircraft into
operational condition, even as
the war goes on.
What we are focused on his
long-range air defense.
You saw the Slovakian government
a few days ago and announced
they are sending a system.
We will backfield that
temporarily with a patriot
system so that Slovakia has
legitimate and credible air
defense.
We are working closely every day
with allies and partners who
have these systems.
T 72 tanks, that they are
willing to provide to Ukraine,
in the United States is helping
have those conversations.
Judy: Some of this new
equipment, weaponry that the
U.S. Is sending to Ukraine, will
require training on the part of
their troops.
Is the U.S. Going to be sending
more soldiers into the area to
train them?
And are you concerned that this
could be seen as some kind of
provocation by Russia?
Mr. Kirby: Let's break it apart
a little bit.
Most of the systems we are
sending in this package don't
require training.
Ukrainians know how to use this
stuff, like javelins and the
switchblade uv -- uva's.
Some of these radars might need
training, but not a lot.
These are not ultra
sophisticated systems.
It will not take long to get
Ukrainians up to speed.
We are looking at a trainer
scenario, where you pull out a
small number of Ukrainians
outside the country, show them
how to use these systems, than
they go back in and help their
colleagues and teammates use
them.
We think we can handle that,
since it is a limited duration
and a limited number of training
needs with the troops that we
already have in Europe.
How Mr. Putin might see this,
that will be up to him.
We know we have a requirement to
help Ukraine defend itself.
These capabilities are literally
ones we have been discussing
with Ukrainians.
We know they can use them.
That is our focus, making sure
they can use them once they get
inside Ukraine.
Judy: Vladimir Putin right now
is saying that he is committed
to finishing what he set out to
do.
This war could go on for a very
long time.
This is unlike anything the U.S.
Has faced against another
country, a country certainly the
size of Russia, in a very long
time.
Is the U.S. Equipped to keep
sending supplies that Ukraine is
going to need to stick with it?
Mr. Kirby: The president has
been really clear.
We are going to help Ukraine as
much as we can, as fast as we
can.
This additional $800 million he
signed up today is proof of our
commitment to do that.
Stuff is moving in every day,
literally eight to 10 flights a
day into the region.
It does not take long for that
stuff to get inside Ukraine, via
ground routes.
We will keep doing this as long
as we can, as long as you
Ukrainians me that help.
I will tell you the proof is in
the pudding.
If you look at how the Russians
had to completely refashion
their strategy inside Ukraine,
because they failed in Kyiv, in
Cherney he, to make progress in
the south, they never took the
town, they have not been able to
present any credible threat
against Odessa.
That is not by accident.
That is because Ukrainians have
been effective on the
battlefield.
That effectiveness comes from
the security assistance that we
and other nations are providing,
in the training we have been
conducting over the last eight
years inside Ukraine.
Judy:judy: John Kirby, the