Wall Street Journal

By Lindsay Wise

Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., asked lawmakers Monday night for more weapons and humanitarian aid.

Ms. Markarova met with members of the Senate Ukraine Caucus.

"She made clear that they're going to run out of Stingers and Javelins really fast," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) about the request for more missiles.

The ambassador also spoke of the Russian soldiers who are in Ukrainian captivity. "She talked about how low the morale was with the Russian troops compared to the Ukrainian troops," Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) said.

Leaving the meeting, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) reiterated lawmakers' commitment to helping Ukraine.

"It was universal, you know, in that room, from one end to the other. We want to help Ukraine in every way that we can," Mr. Schumer said. "And they're valiant. They're amazing. And we're exploring all the ways that we can help them."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Saturday that Washington would provide up to $350 million in additional military aid to Ukraine, including "lethal defensive assistance" to help Kyiv resist Russian armored and airborne forces.

The weapons Washington intends to provide to Ukraine include Javelin antitank weapons, Stinger antiaircraft missiles, small arms and ammunition, U.S. officials said.

The U.S. previously has sent Javelins among other battlefield systems. In January, the U.S. also gave approvalfor Latvia and Lithuania to deliver American-made Stinger antiaircraft missiles to Kyiv.

President Biden authorized the fresh delivery of military aid Friday night and also approved up to $250 million for overall assistance to Ukraine.