US announces new package of military aid for Ukraine
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the United States Joe Biden (Getty Images)
The United States has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine. The amount of aid has not yet been specified, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during a briefing.
According to her, this is the seventh security assistance package authorized by Biden to aid Ukraine since he signed the National Security Law amendment in April.
The new package includes:
- Missiles for Ukrainian air defense systems;
- Ammunition for high-mobility artillery;
- Rocket systems;
- Artillery shells and other critical equipment.
All armaments are taken from American stocks under presidential authority for reduction.
The new package also includes new funding that the US Department of Defense will use to purchase interceptors for the Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, to help Ukraine defend its troops and cities from air attacks by Russia.
New aid includes two packages
As clarified by the Pentagon, the first part of the package includes additional air defense interceptors, artillery and other firepower, as well as anti-tank weaponry totaling $150 million.
The package includes:
- HAWK air defense system missiles
- Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
- 155mm and 105mm artillery shells
- 81mm mortar rounds
- Tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missiles
- Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank complexes
- Small arms ammunition and grenades
- Equipment and ammunition for demining operations
- Tactical vehicles for towing and equipment transport
- Tactical navigation systems and aviation support equipment
- Spare parts, maintenance, and other field and support equipment.
Additionally, $2.2 billion has been allocated for the purchase of interceptors for the PATRIOT and NASAMS air defense systems for Ukraine. The Biden administration plans to expedite the delivery of these weapons by altering the sequence of future shipments under the Foreign Military Sales program.
This aid package aims to provide Ukraine urgently needed interceptors to protect its population and critical infrastructure from Russian air attacks.
It was previously reported that this package is provided under the authority of the US President to withdraw weapons, ammunition, and equipment from American military stocks to meet Ukraine's short-term needs.
Ahead of the announcement, it was also revealed that the package would include ammunition for HIMARS artillery systems and other critical munitions. American officials, speaking anonymously to journalists, indicated that cluster munitions would not be included in the package. However, they did not confirm whether long-range ATACMS missiles would be included for operational security reasons.
US assistance to Ukraine
The US announced a $225 million aid package to Ukraine on June 7th. At that time, American leader Joe Biden, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in France, apologized for the months-long delay in military aid deliveries, which allowed Russia to gain certain advantages on the battlefield. President Biden promised that his country would support Ukraine in the long term.
In particular, the previous package included ammunition for the HAWK and Stinger missile systems, ammunition for HIMARS systems, and 155mm and 105mm artillery shells.
Prior to this, on May 24th, the US also announced the allocation of a $275 million military aid package for Ukraine. The aid included HIMARS ammunition, artillery shells, anti-tank weapons necessary to repel occupant attacks on the Kharkiv front.
The White House officially confirmed permission to use American weapons on the territory of Russia near both the Kharkiv and Sumy regions of Ukraine. As a result, it was possible to reduce enemy shelling of Kharkiv with the S-300 systems.
