The Pentagon on Thursday announced a new US$600 million package of long-term aid to Ukraine, providing funding for an array of weapons and other equipment just a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the nation and pledged US$1 billion in new military and humanitarian aid.
The US Department of Defense said that the latest package would come through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides money for long-term contracts for weapons systems that need to be built or modified by defense companies.
Included in the aid is funding for equipment to sustain and integrate Ukraine’s air defense systems, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, artillery rounds, electronic warfare and counterelectronic warfare equipment, demolition munitions and mine-clearing equipment, as well as for training and maintenance.
Photo: Reuters
The aid comes as the administration of US President Joe Biden works to show its continued support for Ukraine’s three-month-old counteroffensive, as troops try to break through Russian defenses and clear vast mine fields.
Some allies have quietly expressed concerns about the slow-moving offensive, while others say Ukraine has made some progress and has successfully used air defenses to knock down Russian missiles.
Blinken, on a trip to Kyiv on Wednesday, announced that the Pentagon would provide about US$175 million for weapons that would be pulled from Pentagon stocks and an additional US$100 million in grants to allow Ukraine to purchase arms and equipment.
In addition, he announced the US would send nearly US$805 million in non-arms-related aid to Ukraine, including US$300 million for law enforcement, US$206 million in humanitarian aid, US$203 million to combat corruption and US$90.5 million for removing mines, the US Department of State said.
That package also includes a previously announced US$5.4 million transfer to Ukraine of frozen assets from Russian oligarchs.
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