U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new $600 million defence aid package for Ukraine.
“Pursuant to a delegation of authority from the President, I am authorizing our twenty-first drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment for Ukraine since September 2021,” he noted.
This sum will bring the total U.S. military assistance for our country to approximately $15.8 billion since the beginning of the U.S. president Joe Biden’s Administration.
Together with our Allies and partners, we are delivering the arms and equipment that Ukraine’s forces are utilizing so effectively as they continue their successful counter-offensive against Russia’s invasion. President Biden has been clear we will support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes, Blinken added.
As the Pentagon reported, the package includes:
- Additional ammunition forHigh Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
- 36,000 105mm artilleryrounds;
- 1,000 precision-guided 155mmartillery rounds;
- Four counter-artilleryradars;
- Four trucks and eighttrailers to transport heavy equipment;
- Counter-Unmanned AerialSystems;
- Mine clearing equipment;
- Claymore anti-personnelmunitions;
- Demolition munitions andequipment;
- Small arms and ammunition;
- Night vision devices, coldweather gear, and other field equipment.
Since 2014, the United States has committed approximately $17.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine and more than $15.1 billion since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked and brutal invasion on February 24, the US Ministry of Defence added.
Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader in the upper house of the US Congress, has called for the Biden administration to provide Ukraine with more powerful weapons. In particular, he referred to ATACMS, the long-range missiles for HIMARS.
Earlier, Ukraine sought weapons from the United States and its allies, in particular long-range missile systems, which the United States had previously refused to provide.