Ukraine received military aid under Biden under two programs: the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). PDA allows the US president to directly take weapons from warehouses and send them to Ukraine, while USAI allows Ukraine to order weapons for Ukraine from its defense companies and issue them as they are produced. Now, all military aid, the production of which was financed under Biden, is received by the Ukrainian army under the second program.
The US does not officially announce the list of weapons whose deliveries have been suspended. But journalist Tom Bowman published the full list. These include 30 PAC-3 Patriot interceptor missiles, 8 500 155 mm artillery shells, 142 Hellfire missiles, 252 GMLRS precision-guided rockets, 25 Stinger air-to-air missiles, 92 AIM-7 air-to-air missiles, and 125 AT-4 grenade launchers.
The most critical on this list are anti-aircraft missiles for Patriot air defense systems.
Their range is 80-160 kilometers, depending on the type (PAC-1, PAC-2, PAC-3). The Pentagon’s decision refers specifically to PAC-3 missiles, which are the most important for Ukraine. Only they can shoot down Russian ballistic and aeroballistic missiles, such as the “Iskander-M” or “Kinzhal”. Obviously, it will be much easier for the Russian army to attack military production and energy facilities.
The Patriot air defense system fires a PAC-3 anti-aircraft missile.
Wikimedia / «Бабель»
Ukraine has no choice but to buy Patriot systems and missiles for them from other owners of such weapons. Such missiles are also produced only in the USA, so any supply requires permission. European SAMP-T systems can also shoot down ballistic missiles “de facto”. But Ukraine officially received only two such systems, and there is no information about their effectiveness during the entire Great War.
Next on the list of criticality are high-precision GMLRS shells.
They are launched from Western HIMARS and M270 multiple launch rocket systems at a range of up to 92 kilometers. It was they who, by striking warehouses, logistics, and command posts in the summer of 2022, first stopped the large-scale Russian offensive, and then allowed them to launch a counteroffensive to liberate the Kharkiv region and the right-bank Kherson region. Over time, the Russian army adapted to the work of HIMARS (it began to disperse warehouses) and found means of counteraction (it began to spoof the GPS receivers of missiles and thus deflect them from the correct trajectory).
Without the GMLRS, Ukrainian HIMARS will become completely useless, as this is their main projectile. They can also launch ATACMS ballistic missiles, but Ukraine has long run out of such missiles.
Ukrainian soldier with a HIMARS system in the background, December 2023.
Getty Images / «Babel'»
Another important missile is the AIM.
These are American air-to-air missiles, the range of which depends on the modification. The American package refers to the AIM-7 with a range of up to 70 kilometers. They are usually used by Western aircraft, in particular the F-16, or ships, but Ukraine first received them in early 2023 and was able to adapt old Soviet anti-aircraft missile systems, such as the “Buk”, for them.
Air-to-air missiles are used to shoot down any air targets. A range of 70 kilometers is not enough to shoot down Russian aircraft, because Ukrainian air defense systems and aircraft would have to get very close to the front line and take risks. Therefore, AIM-7 missiles are currently used mainly against cruise missiles and drones.
All other weapons on the list are not so critical and will not have a significant impact on the war.
Artillery shells of 155 mm caliber are a standard for all Western guns, there are factories for the production of such ammunition in European countries. And Ukraine has been setting up its own production of such shells since 2024.
Ukrainian military personnel fire an American M777 cannon, August 2023.
Getty Images / «Babel'»
Moreover, 8.5 thousand shells will not play a big role either, since Ukraine fires about 5 thousand shells every day on average. And the alternative to them is strike drones, the vast majority of which Ukraine produces independently.
Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and Stinger surface-to-air missiles for man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems are tactical-grade weapons with short ranges. For example, the Stinger can shoot down aerial targets at altitudes of up to 4 kilometers, making it suitable for shooting down low-flying aircraft, cruise missiles, and drones.
If you try to calculate the cost of the entire frozen package, it will amount to approximately $400-500 million. The largest share of this amount falls on PAC-3 missiles for Patriot and GMLRS rockets. During the Biden presidency, Ukraine received aid packages of this amount approximately once a month.
The US Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby with the US military leadership, May 2025.
Getty Images / «Babel'»