The Pentagon announced Monday $1.7 billion in new military aid to Ukraine, including missiles, munitions and anti-tank weapons to counter the Russian invasion.
The plan includes $200 million in immediate assistance from existing weapons and equipment stockpiles within the Department of Defense and a long-term commitment of $1.5 billion from Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds.
The firepower heading to Ukraine includes surface-to-air missiles, short- and medium-range air defense munitions, RIM-7 air defense missiles, electronic warfare equipment, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) rockets, artillery and mortar shells, tube-launched Optically-Tracked Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles, as well as Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank weapons, among other equipment.
The latest package represents the 62nd withdrawal of military equipment for Ukraine authorized by President Biden and the 20th tranche distributed under USAI, according to the Pentagon.
“The United States is providing Ukraine with a significant new supply of urgently needed weapons and equipment to support its military forces in defending against Russia’s onslaught,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
“This support will help strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and enhance Ukraine’s capabilities on the front lines,” he added.
Blinken noted that the security assistance package is the ninth since Congress approved $60 billion in additional funding for kyiv in April.
“We will deploy this new assistance as quickly as possible to strengthen the defense of Ukraine’s territory and people,” the Secretary of State said.
“As President Biden has made clear, the United States and the international coalition we have assembled will continue to support Ukraine,” the Biden administration official added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “deeply grateful” for the $1.7 billion in military aid, stressing that the funding will help “maintain the equipment previously committed by the United States.”
“Today, in the Kharkiv region, I saw with my own eyes how such continued assistance allows us to save lives and protect people from Russian attacks,” Zelensky wrote on X. “Most importantly, this assistance shows America’s strength and leadership in the face of aggression and terrorism.”
“The stronger this leadership, the more stable the world.”
New York Post
