White House Freezes Ukraine Lethal Weapons Delivery

The White House has temporarily frozen a a lethal weapons military aid package to Ukraine then put it on pause as the Biden-Putin summit approached.

The pack was originally prepared in response to steady Russian troops along Ukraine’s border in this years spring. The package accounted to $100 million worth of weapons according to four people familiar with internal deliberations.

The National Security Council prepared the package, as tensions grew over a huge Russian military buildup near the border with Ukraine and in the Crimean Peninsula.

The package include short-range air defense systems, small arms and anti-tank weapons, according to reports.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said "The idea that we have held back security assistance to Ukraine is nonsense. Just last week—in the run-up to the U.S.-Russia Summit—we provided a $150 million package of security assistance, including lethal assistance."

The White House acknowledged that additional security assistance had been made ready, but would only be delivered if Russia crossed territorial red lines. "We have also prepared contingency funds in the event of a further Russian incursion into Ukraine. As President Biden told President Putin directly, we will stand unwavering in support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," the White House statement said.