President Joe Biden had yet another phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, reaffirming the United States’ material support for Ukraine’s efforts to stave off the Russian invasion.

A readout of the call between Biden and Zelensky said the president, “pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advanced air defense systems. He also underscored his ongoing engagement with allies and partners to continue imposing costs on Russia, holding Russia accountable for its war crimes and atrocities, and providing Ukraine with security, economic, and humanitarian assistance.” Biden also added his personal condemnation for Russia’s missile strikes across Ukraine, calling such attacks “senseless” and “conveyed his condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured.”

The Oct. 10 call was the second call between the leader of the U.S. government and its primary beneficiary in the span of a week. During an Oct. 4 call with Zelensky, Biden, this time joined by the indomitable Vice President Kamala Harris, swore to Zelensky that “the United States will never recognize Russia’s purported annexation of Ukrainian territory” and “pledged to continue supporting Ukraine as it defends itself from Russian aggression for as long as it takes.” Is perpetual proxy war with Russia via Ukraine—even if it’s reduced to an urban insurgency—the policy of the Biden administration for the rest of its tenure? It appears so.

To follow through on their promises to Zelensky, Biden told the Ukrainian president that the United States would provide, “a new $625 million security assistance package that includes additional weapons and equipment, including HIMARS, artillery systems and ammunition, and armored vehicles.” Specifically, the package gives Ukraine four more High Mobility Rocket Artillery Systems (HIMARS), 16 155 mm howitzers, 16 105 mm howitzers, 75,000 155mm artillery rounds, 500 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds, 1,000 155mm rounds of Remote Anti-Armor Mine Systems, and other military equipment.

The $625 million in security assistance is being pulled from the Presidential Drawdown Authority, the second package of its kind. In a typical year, Congress allocates $100 million for the Presidential Drawdown Authority so the executive may supply military equipment and support for unforseen national security issues, but that $100 million cap was hiked to $11 billion by Congress in May, specifically to ensure the spigot for Ukraine never runs dry.

In total, the U.S. has doled out just under $17 billion since Russia invaded Ukraine, and is set to send more American taxpayer dollars overseas given the massive amounts of money Democrats and Republicans in Congress have committed to Ukraine’s side of the conflict.

Sure, sending Ukraine guns and butter is a better alternative than sending our sons and daughters, but to think that one can’t possibly lead to another is foolish thinking. It’s a lie our foreign policy elites have told the American people countless times over the past two decades. Send some arms and aid, they say, and we won’t have to intervene. All the while, U.S. investment in these conflicts continue to raise the stakes until Uncle Sam finally issues his decree: “I WANT YOU!”