The U.S. military will soon send Ukraine up to $200 million in air defenses and other weapons, and has made a $1.5 billion commitment to support the country’s long-term defenses, the Biden administration announced Monday. fair.
The United States will send the smaller package as part of a presidential withdrawal authority, meaning it will withdraw lethal air directly from its stockpiles, “to provide Ukraine with essential capabilities, including: air defense interceptors; ammunition for rocket and artillery systems; and anti-tank weapons,” according to a Pentagon statement.
Speaking to reporters earlier, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the package will include US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) ammunition, artillery and mortar ammunition, and anti-tank missiles from dart.
The $1.5 billion package, meanwhile, will come from Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds, meaning the dollars will be used to purchase weapons on the global market or directly from weapons manufacturers. from the USA.
This portion of weapons includes ammunition for national advanced surface-to-air missile systems, short- and medium-range air defense ammunition, air defense missiles, ammunition for HIMARS, anti-tank weapons and other artillery and ammunition.
Washington has given Kiev more than $50 billion in military aid since 2022, and President Biden has authorized nine security assistance packages for Ukraine since late April as the country struggles to contain the Russian advance on the eastern front.
Ukrainian defensive lines have been strained by manpower shortages and near-constant Russian attacks, with Kremlin troops making rapid gains in the eastern Donetsk region over the past week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met with Biden at the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., earlier this month, called for more permission to fire U.S.-supplied long-range missiles at targets beyond Russian borders.
Ukrainian authorities have also for months pressed the US and other allies for more air defense systems to protect their cities and infrastructure from frequent Russian missile and drone attacks.
Ina post, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said the country is “grateful to our American partners for their leadership and steadfast support. Together, we will win!”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
